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Bsd Stormbringer - Blog Posts
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 BEST line from Stormbringer:
I mean...he's not wrong...
I have a theory about why Chuuya goes by his first name, as opposed to most other people. Because even in the manga, where characters like Fyodor, Nikolai, and Lucy are generally referred to by their surnames, Chuuya goes by his given name in both the manga and anime. *Stormbringer Spoilers*
First of all, when he was fifteen, he likely went by his first name because he was surrounded by friends, by the people who raised him, and going by something like a family name would be distant and unnatural, and likely not something Chuuya would push. So when he met Dazai, he was still immature enough to go only by his given name, and he probably doesn't bother enforcing it when he joined the Mafia either.
But. After the events of Stormbringer and when Chuuya grows up, I suspect it was for a different reason. We don't see much of Chuuya after he escapes the military facility, but since he knew how to speak, my guess would be that he knew enough to know his name, even if he couldn't remember much else. Chuuya was his name, given to him by birth, but the name "Nakahara" isn't. That's N's name, the name of the person who kidnapped him, experimented on him, and tortured him. The real Chuuya's surname was actually Kensuke, and I think something similar applies to him in universe as well. When he was taken by N, the name Nakahara was given to him, but the name Chuuya is the one his real parents gave to him, the name he received when he was born, the name that proves his humanity. So he probably chooses to stick with that name, even though he really could insist on being called "Nakahara" because "Chuuya" is the one that's his.
Too busy for a full analysis, but I'm just gonna drop this here and leave.
(Quote is from Stormbringer, the first time Chuuya uses his corruption.)
I think a monstrosity I created needs to be shared with the world...
It started when I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about Stormbringer...I found this post by @saaraofthesand :
Which led to the following discussion:
And thus finally resulted in this;
yeah.
The funniest hyperfixations have gotta be the ones where you watch something and go "this thing is cute. I like it. not sure if Id call it a favorite of mine but its definitely enjoyable at least" and then cut to a month later and its completely overtaken your life
This is my formal apology to everyone out there who knows me, because I can not and will not be normal about the release of the bsd Stormbringer manga adaptation
The flags, my beloveds
stormbringer manga eng translation chapter 2 finished!!
thank you for your patience guys i’ve been multitasking and this chapter was suuupeeeer long and wordy, so it took me a while.
I feel like a lot of people misunderstand the relationship between Verlaine and Chuuya. There's a lot of argument over whether they're biologically brothers or not. That's not the point. The point is how they came into the world and their unnatural birth. Or, at least, how Verlaine perceives it. He sees both him and Chuuya as artificial beings that will never be human no matter how hard they may try, so they may as well stop trying to fit in with these disgusting humans and just find solace in each other. He calls Chuuya his brother because he feels like he's the only one who can truly understand what he's going through. Their "brothership" stems from their shared existence as artificial beings. This is why Chuuya rejects it so violently at first. He doesn't want to be anything like the man who slaughtered his friends. He wants to be human.
Then, throughout the book, Chuuya comes to accept that however he came into this world, naturally or otherwise, he chooses to be human, and that's what it's important. His actions are what make him human. Verlaine learns this, too, but it's already far too late. He, too, had the chance to be human, but he was too focused on the possibility of being inhuman instead of actually trying to be a good person or to accept the care and support of his friend, Rimbaud, and now, he's gone. That is the tragedy of his story. He always had the opportunity to be human, but he threw it away for the sake of anger and hatred.
Only when they have both learned this lesson that Chuuya accepts Verlaine as his brother. Not because they're biologically related or anything, but because they do have this shared experience with one another, and he's here for him. Not because he forgives him for what he did. But because he has an opportunity to be better.
I love stormbringer. It's so good. Anyone reading this who hasn't read it, READ IT!! IF YOU LIKE CHUUYA AT ALL, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO HIS CHARACTER!
Chuuya: There’s no way that’s real.
Adam: I’m afraid it is.
Chuuya:…Shirase!
Shirase: What’s up?
Chuuya: When you were in England did an alarm go off to tell you it was tea time?
Adam catches Shirase’s eye from behind Chuuya and nods his head.
Shirase: Oh the tea alarm. Yeah it was weird but eh you get used to it.
Chuuya: You guys never see eye to eye but now you wanna work together? There’s no tea alarm!
Shirase: Hey man believe what you want but that thing is real and kept waking me up in the middle of the night.
Adam: Speaking of…the alarm is blaring.
Chuuya: Even if there was one, which there isn’t you’re in Japan.
Adam: And normally that would exempt me from such a thing but as a superior robot I can be notified when the alarm is going off.
Chuuya: Yeah? Well good luck we don’t have any-
Adam holds up a tea cup.
Chuuya:…tea. Where did you get that?!
Adam: Naturally I am always prepared for such occasions as I am often abroad.
Chuuya: I hate both of you.
Paul : chuuya is not human, just like me.
Dazai : nah uh
Paul : tf- you mean 'nah uh'
Dazai : nah uhhh!
“No! No! You don’t understand! Nakahara was N - the scientist!” I say, the words pedantic and forgotten in the wind, the same way Frankenstein wasn’t the monster but the scientist has been for centuries now.
thinking about Albatross and him drinking like they’ll snatch that bottle away any minute
concept: ADA!Chuuya, but All Men Are Equal gave him total control of his ability by stabilizing it and getting rid of his permanent singularity, so he reverted to his original power: enhancing others' abilities.
Bonus:
I’m interested
a valentines day piece i didin twt, chuutross ft jealous dazai ‼️
the flags try the grimace shake!
It’s so funny that the three people who canonically find Dazai #relatable are Mori, Fyodor, and Verlaine.
What an insane lineup of horrible men. I think that alone would make me change my entire personality if I were him. First everyone finds him incredibly annoying and then those motherfuckers show up and are like “actually, no, Dazai’s great. He just gets me.” I’d be reconsidering all of my life decisions.
background practice :D
also albatross teaching chuuya to skateboard
i used a random street in yokohama from google maps as my reference lmao
Given his past, I imagine Chuuya's relationship with his birthday must be a bit unusual. To him, his birthday is a sign of his own humanity, a sign that he is a human born like everyone else, and not just a clone created in a lab. He also only found out about his birthday because of the flags, so this is also a symbol of his friendship with them, and how much they cared for him, being able to go against Mori's orders just to give Chuuya the knowledge about his own origin, the thing he desired the most
"I didn't do much," said the guy who did half the work
SB!Chuuya vs mafia grunts: spot the differences
Choker (for style)
Gloves (we don't have time to unpack all that)
Rolled up sleeves (for size style)
Open collar (delinquent)
No tie (delinquent)
Unworn sunglasses (in pocket)
It has all the elements of a standard mafia grunt uniform. In the novel, he picks up a shirt, all of which are high-end and well-maintained, "at random" just to get it done. This matches his empty apartment in serving the theme of the story, which is "who is Nakahara Chuuya?"
and YET, we can see his personality come through that basic nobody uniform in the way he chooses to style his bland clothes, the accessories he puts on, and the glasses, which are a mean to anonymise the mafia members, that he does not put on, yet carries with him. He will not be absorbed as just one of the many, and despite his uncertainties, he's clearly himself from the very start.
CHARACTER DESIGN!!!!
(note: the light novel description of his clothes and the character design do not completely agree. Asagiri wanted to have Chuuya wear emerald cuff links. Harukawa rolled up his sleeves. Make of that what you will.)
Looking at Iceman in the new Storm Bringer chapter I am suddenly struck with the headcanon that Hirotsu was his mentor, and I don't understand how I didn't see this earlier.
It's not just the outfits, which are very similar (I'm definitely headcanoning the scarf was a gift from Hirotsu now) but also their body language now we can see it.
I mean, look at their introduction panels next to each other.
"No I can't stand with the group, I've got to go smoke and look cool and mysterious in the corner"
Hirotsu's monocle being over the same eye as Iceman's scar.
Iceman's hair being pushed back like he's trying to imitate Hirotsu's style.
What if Iceman's sixth sense for when someone is about to activate their ability and talent for making anything into a weapon comes from the fact his mentor's ability was being able to repel anything thrown at him?
They are the coolest people in the mafia and they know it
Me seeing the flags in the new stormbringer manga chapter:
I think the whole debate over Chuuya being the clone or not it kind of dumb.
The reason Asagiri never out right states that Chuuya isn’t the clone in Stormbringer is because it gives you the uncertainty that Chuuya feels. The scar is solid evidence, but not solid enough. Chuuya doesn’t remember how he got it so he technically can’t be 100% sure that he’s the original, but that’s the point. The whole point is that it doesn’t matter. It’s his body and his mind no matter what his origin is. Before the scar is even mentioned it’s established that Chuuya has accepted that he’s human. The whole damn book tells you him and Verlaine are humans no matter if they’re possibly clones or not. It was never about them being clones, it was about their humanity.
I feel like a lot of people misunderstand the relationship between Verlaine and Chuuya. There's a lot of argument over whether they're biologically brothers or not. That's not the point. The point is how they came into the world and their unnatural birth. Or, at least, how Verlaine perceives it. He sees both him and Chuuya as artificial beings that will never be human no matter how hard they may try, so they may as well stop trying to fit in with these disgusting humans and just find solace in each other. He calls Chuuya his brother because he feels like he's the only one who can truly understand what he's going through. Their "brothership" stems from their shared existence as artificial beings. This is why Chuuya rejects it so violently at first. He doesn't want to be anything like the man who slaughtered his friends. He wants to be human.
Then, throughout the book, Chuuya comes to accept that however he came into this world, naturally or otherwise, he chooses to be human, and that's what it's important. His actions are what make him human. Verlaine learns this, too, but it's already far too late. He, too, had the chance to be human, but he was too focused on the possibility of being inhuman instead of actually trying to be a good person or to accept the care and support of his friend, Rimbaud, and now, he's gone. That is the tragedy of his story. He always had the opportunity to be human, but he threw it away for the sake of anger and hatred.
Only when they have both learned this lesson that Chuuya accepts Verlaine as his brother. Not because they're biologically related or anything, but because they do have this shared experience with one another, and he's here for him. Not because he forgives him for what he did. But because he has an opportunity to be better.
I love stormbringer. It's so good. Anyone reading this who hasn't read it, READ IT!! IF YOU LIKE CHUUYA AT ALL, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO HIS CHARACTER!