My Children!! Look At Them!! They Are Together Again!! And Happy!!

At least he didn't really die

the trans representation in one piece is phenomenal actually

If Kunikida comes back (which I hope he does), I think it might have something to do with the book, more specifically the page that was with Fukuchi before he died. We don't know what happened to the page after the divine being's appearance, but if it hasn't, I don't know, disappeared, it could still be used to reverse the damage caused by the divine being, perhaps even bringing back those who were killed by it.

Happy Birthday Yosano Akiko-sensei!

To celebrate Yosano Akiko’s birthday here are her top three quotes from my blog:

Quote #3:

In return for all the sins and crimes of men, the gods created me with glistening long black hair and pale, inviting skin.

- Yosano Akiko, River of Stars: Selected Poems of Yosano Akiko

Quote #2:

With teary eyes, she turns to me for sympathy, but all I can see reflected on the water is a lonely harvest moon.

- Yosano Akiko, River of Stars: Selected Poems of Yosano Akiko

Quote #1:

Even at nineteen, I had come to realize that violets fade, spring waters soon run dry, this life too is transient.

- Yosano Akiko, River of Stars: Selected Poems of Yosano Akiko

While Loki bullying his brother and dissing his mom were obviously horrible things to do, I don't think that Loki actually felt any real prejudice towards Hajrudin or his mother. I think that he was just saying the thing that he knew would hurt his brother the most and this was part of an already established pattern of Loki lashing out due to already being treated poorly by the rest of Elbaf by this point.

Remember, every giant was dunking on Harald's first wife for being non-Elbafian so it's more likely that Loki, who is much younger than Hajrudin who himself looks about seven or eight here, parroted what the older giants were saying without understanding the actual weight of it. Kids say stupid shit they overhear from adults who should know better all the time.

Plus, notice how none of the older giants in this flashback are jumping to Hajrudin's defense or holding back Loki from attacking him? If anything, it looks like they're egging on the violence. Even Harald, the peace-loving king who just said he wants his sons to get along, isn't putting a stop to one of them beating the other bloody while spewing xenophobic remarks.

You could give Harald the benefit of the doubt by saying this happened when he wasn't around (I took the 'get along when i'm gone' as 'get along after i die' but he could have just been leaving on a day trip here), but still the giants are doing nothing to defend the king's eldest son from physical and verbal abuse even from one of their pariahs implicitly because, in their eyes, Loki isn't saying anything that they don't agree with.

Frankly, it's a miracle that Hajrudin didn't become as resentful of Elbaf as Loki did.

Happy birthday to two of my favorite government spies in the port mafia!! (That i can't believe that share the same birthday)

hc that kyouka like. mimics people to show her affection, since she isnt good with words n stuff.

like one time she and atsushi were riding the bus somewhere and atsushi brought his knees up to his chest and just kinda sat curled up on the bus seat like that and kyouka looked at him for a minute before doing the same thing then looking at him with like these big cat eyes. atsushi was a bit confused but he smiled and sorta nudged against her and she smiled back

kunikida was pacing in the ada offices one day (dazai was later than usual and he was stressing a bit) and kyouka kinda just started walking next to him. she didnt really know why he was pacing but she thought it would help if he did it with him (it did, in a way)

naomi will be talking nonsense to a cat that she met on the street and kyouka has no idea why she would be doing that??? why is she saying made up words to this animal??? but she sees that naomi is really happy so she crouches down and starts babbling to the cat

tanizaki is worried at first bc sometimes theyll be sitting at the same desk and hes working in complete silence (like he always does, except for when someone is talking to him) and he'll look over at kyouka and shes just. sitting there. silent. and hes so worried bc he wants her to feel safe and he wants her to like him but shes always just. sitting there staring at him.

until one day, shes sitting with him and he starts drumming his fingers on the desk, waiting for a document to upload. then he hears a second set of fingers drumming the rhythm with him. he looks up, confused and sees kyouka looking at him, drumming her fingers. he stops, and as soon as he does her fingers go still. he starts up again, and so does she. he cant stop smiling the rest of the day.

kenji takes kyouka to a park for a picnic, after he found out shes never been on one. he takes out some orange slices and puts one in his mouth so it looks like a smile. she stares at him before doing the same thing, struggling a bit. they look at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

idk shes so important to me <33333

Oh boy I thought people were over the Rayleigh-Zoro parallel being a 1 for 1 thing. But I see with this chapter they're not and now they're doing the same with Sanji and Gabán.

Rayleigh was a parallel to both Zoro and Sanji and Gaban's the same.

Rayleigh's a swordsman but he also uses his legs to fight while Gabán uses two axes (which ironically makes for 3 weapons + 1 pair of legs, it's probably just chance but who knows with Oda).

Rayleigh made fun of Zoro's stupidity the same way Sanji would, he's got a got a scar similar to Zoro's.

Rayleigh's a big drinker like Zoro and Gaban's very into love like Sanji.

Gaban's linked to Wano like Zoro and they both like to stir shit up.

Both Sanji-Zoro and Gabán-Rayleigh will not hesitate to argue against their captains if they feel like it's needed, so far Gabán and Zoro have only been shown to do it when they're particularly worried (both shown in chapter 1139), meanwhile Sanji and Rayleigh will scold Luffy-Roger for more mundane stuff as much as when they're worried.

So like outwardly Gabán-Sanji and Zoro-Rayleigh parallels are super obvious but in truth it's a mix because Luffy's crew is not just a copy of Roger's.

(also don't comment by saying that both Rayleigh and Zoro are 1st mate/Vice Captain as a parallel, Oda confirmed in vol. 102's SBS Zoro isn't, which we've been knew but apparently not everyone, anyway the idea of the Strawhats having a 1st mate is just weird when them not caring about hierarchy bc they're a family is so important)

One thing that always bothers me is when people reduce Chuuya down to "anger issues." Because he's so much more than just an angry little redhead. Yeah, Dazai's ticks him off, but aside from that, whenever he's shown as being angry, it's never because of a stupid reason that had his temper going off. Like in the movie, he was mad because six of his friends were killed due to a government decision. He was angry in season three when he learned he had two days to either kill the leader of the Agency, a group that he knew they had a ceasefire with, or else the boss would die. I'm pretty sure Harukawa even said that Chuuya's actually composed most of the time, it's only when he's with Dazai that he reverts into a five year old with anger issues, as does Dazai. And as a matter of fact, he spent most of his life bottling down anger, taking responsibility for others, never really letting himself experience these emotions for others sake. In Stormbringer, Verlaine wants him to be mad, to use that anger to prove he's just a beast, and for him to go hurt the world that did bad to him. Something which Chuuya doesn't want to do.

I'm not saying that his patience is unlimited or that he doesn't get angry often, but whenever I see him get reduced to Bakugo syndrome, it always gets me annoyed, because it feels like people don't truly understand his character.

The Agency's Older Brother: or, Ranpo's Character Development

I want to talk about Ranpo and the development he goes through in the series, because for as much as Ranpo is an important member of the Agency, his story is focused on in small chunks that may not always, at first read, seem to be overly significant. In fact, Ranpo’s arc is very consistent and I’m fascinated to know where it’s building to, because he’s done a lot of growing in the series. A lot of the themes of his story are to do with responsibility and faith in others.

The Ranpo we meet at the beginning of the story is not the Ranpo we see now. The biggest change is that he’s a lot more personally involved with the struggles of the Agency members, taking it on himself to be proactive and protective, while previously he had to be pushed and bribed into helping much of the time. When did this change?

Well...

[ID: Two screenshots from a scene in Poe's introductory episode of the Bungou Stray Dogs anime. In the first screenshot, Yosano lies on the carpeted ground, an axe embedded in her chest, blood pooling around her. Ranpo is crouched beside her, supporting her shoulders with one hand and clasping her hand with the other. The second screenshot is a close up of Ranpo's distressed face. End ID.]

The thing is, it's almost easy to overlook the effect this scene had on Ranpo, because Poe’s introductory chapter/episode is such a brief one. Moreover, afterwards, Poe becomes an ally and is a bit of a silly character, so it’s easy to forget sometimes that he was a legitimate threat here - and Yosano nearly died for it. This scene was incredibly significant to Ranpo for a few notable reasons.

It’s the first time someone in the Agency was in serious trouble/died without a backup plan.

It is, unfortunately, kind of on him. (Let me be real clear here: I am not blaming Ranpo. But he probably was blaming himself and that's something to keep in mind.)

To recap: Poe pulls Ranpo into his novel out of revenge, also trapping Yosano, who went with him. Ranpo realizes that they are in a world with no abilities, and importantly, he doesn't have the glasses Fukuzawa gave him.

We know those glasses mean a lot to him. When Ranpo was at his lowest, when he was convinced the world hated him, Fukuzawa gave him those glasses and told him he had a special ability. That he had a gift that no one else did that allowed him to see the truth that no one else could. Untold Origins makes it very clear that if Fukuzawa hadn't reached out to Ranpo when he did, Ranpo may have forever been outcasted. He was a kid kept in a bubble then suddenly and rudely shoved into a world he was unprepared to cope with, where he continued to get rejected and thrown out over and over - and all this on top of the grief he felt from his parents' passing. Ranpo was bitter and terrified of people, and thought everyone was pretending to be oblivious just to hurt him. Fukuzawa saved him the only way he could, in the only way Ranpo would hear him. It's not an exaggeration to say Fukuzawa saved Ranpo's life. And, while cute, it's also telling how quickly those glasses became an intrinsic part of his identity. Only maybe twenty minutes after he first received them, he was already making little doodles of himself wearing them.

Suddenly, the glasses are gone, and Ranpo goes into a funk because he "can't activate his ability without them". Obviously, we know that isn't true, and so does Yosano. Ranpo probably, deep down, knows this too, but to admit that would be to admit the president lied to him, and to uproot the very thing that gave him the means to perceive the world in a brighter light. The reason Fukuzawa had to lie in the first place was because the truth would be to tell Ranpo that his parents lied to him, something he angrily denies could ever be the case. And now, Fukuzawa is very plainly stated to be Ranpo's adoptive father. Ranpo's parents do not lie to him. He does not want to see it - and so he doesn't. This is a recurring thing with Ranpo. For as much as he sees the truth clearly, he also chooses not to see it at times when it would be uncomfortable/go against the intuition of someone he deeply trusts and respects.

And I think it's very easy to just leave it there, and say, "Oh, Ranpo realized at the end of this chapter/episode that he didn't need the glasses, that he doesn't have an ability, and that's a key turning point" but I don't feel that's the full picture or even the focus here, especially since Ranpo still hasn't reached the point where he can properly admit it aloud, even to Yosano.

The thing is, those glasses aren't just of use to Ranpo - they have sentimental value. A heck of a lot of it, for a character who is not very sentimental. The real turning point here is that Ranpo put on Yosano's glasses in order to save her.

[ID: A screenshot of a panel from the Bungou Stray Dogs manga. Ranpo puts on a pair of glasses. His hair is blown out of his face and he wears an intense expression. End ID.]

Shortly before this, we are informed by Yosano that not only was the Agency specifically formed for Ranpo to make use of his talents, but also that it was Ranpo who invited her to join - which we later learn was a pivotal moment for her to start over after she was completely broken by her experiences in the war. And now, he is watching her bleed out because she had to take over. Because he couldn't solve it. And that, to Ranpo, is unacceptable.

But again, there's more to it. Ranpo is fundamentally a self-centered character - this is not a judgement; I actually love that about him. He's the center of the Agency, the (ostensibly) good guys of the series; a narcissistic guy with little in the way of sensitivity who wants to use his skills to help others. Not for some higher ideal, or because it's "right" necessarily, but because he's good at it, and because he's supposed to protect all the "babies" who can't solve things for themselves. I love it because it highlights a major theme of BSD, which is good as something you do rather than something you are, and also because it explains something about Ranpo himself.

See, if everyone in the world is a "baby" who needs Ranpo's assistance, then the people in the Agency are a little different. They're people hand-picked by Fukuzawa to support him, both through praise and through backup. Remember that Ranpo trusts Fukuzawa's judgement more than anything - this means that he expects the Agency members can handle themselves. So, in chapter 10, when Ranpo doesn't really care that Atsushi has been taken, citing that it's a "personal problem" and he should handle it, I really think this was some odd form of "Atsushi will be fine" and "why should I worry or do anything when I know he'll be fine". And in the past, this has been true - the Agency members always pull through. None of them, up until that point, have been in a situation that they couldn't eventually fix. Ranpo has a bubble of safety in the Agency, that basically amounts to a "villain of the week" type beat from his perspective, where troubles gets fixed up pretty quickly. All in a day's work.

But then Yosano dies in Poe's book, someone he actually had some level of responsibility for when he invited her to join his safe little circle in a world that had no place for people like them. And it's a direct result of Ranpo's refusal/inability to act.

In order to fix this, Ranpo uses Yosano's glasses. The lens he's seeing through has changed. The people in the Agency were initially "his" in that they were meant to support Ranpo, the special one "chosen" by Fukuzawa's glasses, the reason for the Agency's existence in the first place. But now the people in the Agency are "his" in that they are his to protect. He's their big brother they all look up to in a way, and as the big brother, he's got to take responsibility for their safety.

Why did this not stand out in the moment? Well, we learn something about Ranpo from Untold Origins: he's very good at pretending he's doing okay and things aren't bothering him as much as they are. He's able to hold it together up until it all comes spilling out of him during the play. Also, I do think Ranpo cares about people a good deal more than he'd have you believe. A common fanon thing about Ranpo (from what I've seen) is that he tends to forget people, which, I can see how one would come to that conclusion, but I actually think it's completely wrong. I don't think Ranpo's forgotten a single person he's accused. I don't think he's forgotten a single person he's helped.

He lied about not remembering Poe, in fact, he remembered him pretty fondly as a real challenge. He remembers the information on a person from the Special Division he was asked to look into and gave the info to Mushitarou to allow him an in. He recognizes an officer he'd helped, and it's implied he recognizes every single officer who had been present while he was working on cases in the past. Does this mean he cares about all of them? ...eh. Probably not. But it does mean that Ranpo keeps a lot of his cards close to his chest. He's disarming with his intentional childishness. And so it can be difficult for the characters and readers both to notice that events like Yosano's almost-death... actually bothered him a lot more than he let on.

Because it was his fault. Because she was his responsibility. Because he's supposed to be invincible.

And unfortunately, the story from here on out does not get any kinder to Ranpo as his safe bubble that is the Agency is repeatedly targeted in ways that are increasingly hard to repair.

Fukuzawa falls ill and nearly dies in Cannibalism arc.

A girl gets blown up and Kunikida ends up in jail because Fyodor managed to manipulate Ranpo's intel.

Mushitarou is believed to have been shot and killed trying to warn Ranpo about the Decay of Angels plan.

Taneda bleeds out from a stab wound and falls into a coma. Ranpo can do nothing but listen and cannot get him help.

The amount of times Ranpo has seen people nearly die in front of him... bro it's almost as bad as Kunikida.

Much like Kunikida having extreme faith in his lofty ideals which make him fall just that much harder when he fails to uphold them, Ranpo has practically zero self-doubt and complete and utter confidence in his abilities... so when problems arise, Ranpo is very harsh on himself. He takes the blame because he's supposed to be better than that. Because he is the one with the powerful "ability" that should never fail.

In this sense, Ranpo's position in the Agency reminds me a lot of a certain person in the Port Mafia, someone who also has a powerful skill he puts towards protecting his own, someone who also received life changing words from the boss which earned him his loyalty, and someone who would do anything to defend the only place in the world he feels secure.

I think there's definitely a reason Cannibalism arc had Ranpo and Chuuya face off, I'm just saying. Both of them ostracized and thrown out as young teens by people who should've been looking out for them. Both the instigators of that arc, proactive and desperate to protect the person they are most loyal to who changed their perspectives. They've even got the same power stance, look. :P

[ID: Two panels from the Bungou Stray Dogs manga. The first is a panel of Ranpo with the silhouette of Fyodor behind him. He is standing with his hands in his pockets, facing front with his head tilted back and to the left a little, a fierce expression on his face and his cloak billowing outwards. The second is a panel of Chuuya standing in a similar manner, arms crossed, facing front with a fierce expression as his coat billows out around him. End ID.]

Of course, there's more interesting comparisons and contrasts to be drawn between them, but I'm focusing on Ranpo in this analysis, so I think I've made my point. Chuuya is the Port Mafia's best martial artist. Ranpo is the Agency's strongest man. And that places a burden of responsibility on them that they both believe they must uphold. They're both ready and willing to do whatever it takes.

The thing is though, is that Ranpo doesn't actually have an ability. When up against someone like Chuuya, he is at a distinct disadvantage, and he knows it. "Regular people can't defeat ability users". But he's still going to come up with a way to do it anyways, and why?

[ID: A screencap from the Bungou Stray Dogs anime. The members of the Agency all stand around Ranpo, who is seated at his desk with a smile, one hand holding his cap, the other held up in a casual gesture. The image is filtered in a soft light. End ID.]

Because his friends think he's invincible.

If Ranpo wants to maintain his safe place in a world of fear, then he has to step up to defend it, and he has to get creative about it. And that's exactly what he does. Ranpo becomes steadily more active throughout the story, which is a huge change from the start, where he had to be practically bribed to help at all. I see a lot of people point out his channeling of Fyodor's tactics to secure Kunikida's release, which is definitely a dark turn for his character, but it's not the only change.

Ranpo is now choosing to place his faith in others, the first obvious instance of this being his use of Poe's novels - which was how he defeated Chuuya. Ranpo knows that he is not going to succeed against people who drastically overpower him all alone, even if he does still take things on as personal burdens. He's also far more obvious about his protectiveness, going on the rescue himself to save the Agency members, driving a car (whereas before he needed someone to take transit with him - another indication of his increased proactivity since he's now literally driving instead of being driven), and bodily shoving Atsushi out of harm's way.

It all culminates in one of my favourite Ranpo scenes where he speaks at the conference to the police, who've worked with him before, where he asks if they will think for themselves - and tells everyone gathered there that anyone can be a detective if they think for themselves and look with their own eyes (!!!). He manages to get half the police force on his side, just through his words and his logic alone! Minoura assumes he somehow knew it would all work out, because, well, it's Ranpo. Ranpo knows everything.

But...

[ID: An image from the Bungou Stray Dogs manga. Ranpo sits in the passenger seat of a car with an honest, helpless smile. End ID.]

He reveals he didn't know if his ploy would work at all. He had to trust that it would with no solid proof. He had to trust these people would use their heads and look beyond the obvious. He respects these people enough that he thinks at least some of them will make the right call.

Fourteen year old Ranpo, bitter and estranged from other people, would never. For him to have come such a long way is testament to the security that the Agency provided him with. In a way, Fukuzawa forming the Agency allowed Ranpo to "complete" his childhood in relative safety, so that when the world became hostile once again and his family destabilized, Ranpo had matured enough to meet it and defend himself and those he has a responsibility towards head on. The Agency is his family, and Ranpo cares for them enough that he puts his faith, not just in them, but in the people they put their faith in too.

[ID: A panel from the Bungou Stray Dogs manga. Ranpo is kneeling in front of Fukuchi, who is sitting backwards on his chair to face him. End ID.]

...aaaaand then Fukuchi went and ruined it. Thanks, Fukuchi.

Ranpo again chooses to put his trust in someone without proof because Fukuzawa trusts him, only for that to have gotten thrown back into his face in the worst way possible. And it's in this regard, the trust aspect, that I think we'll see Ranpo develop as the story goes on.

Will he continue to show this tentative faith in people? Or will he begin to hyper-analyze, unwilling to trust again without proof?

If this arc gets resolved decently well, I think Ranpo will have no issue brushing this off as a one-time thing. However, if what I fear might happen does and Fukuzawa doesn't make it out of this arc... Ranpo will be destabilized.

I don't know that Ranpo would go "bad" per se. He likes the other Agency members. He cares about them - that's genuine. But if Fukuzawa dies, then Ranpo may begin to take darker actions in order to keep them safe, almost overprotective and harshly logical, with little room for blind trust or risks in the name of justice or honour. It may put him at odds with Kunikida, in that Ranpo may start to develop a strong "do what's necessary" mentality, even if that may be immoral. He may regress a little into his old trust issues.

However, I really don't think Ranpo will go too far down the path of darkness, even if the worst should happen. He's a lot tougher than he seems, and he has a good support system in the Agency. I guess it remains to be seen where Ranpo's story takes him next.

Until then...

[ID: A screencap from the Bungo Stray Dogs anime. Ranpo sits in his chair in a cuter art style, having taken a bite from the pastry he has in his left hand. End ID.]

I love one good boy. :)