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Sato (in japanese translates to sugar) and Sugur(u) - self explanatory at this point...

Why did I realize this now: Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru. Black and white. These parallels and foils in JJK will be the death of me, I swear. Who told Gojo it was a good idea to show up in a dead man's fit, knowing full well how the end was going to play out!!

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Gege, listen... this was not what we meant by topless Gojo...

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In JJK, if cursed spirits are the result of one's negative energy manifasted into the real world, then Gege is out here producing a whole ass factory for us with how much angst with no comfort the manga currently has.

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At first, I thought I liked Dazai Osamu as a character because he was a complex and morally grey individual, but maybe.. just maybe. Who am I kidding, I was probably projecting. If you don't feel called out right yet, then maybe the wise words of Asagari-sensi will open up your eyes.

Here is a prephrased verison I came up with one of the interviews he gave: "Bungo Stray Dogs is a story for people who are not good at living. In this world, there are people who are so good at living that they do not even need a story at all. It is for those who need it like the 'lost ones' Dazai talked about. The oxygen that is necessary for life, the stories for them to come to so that they could get through their day." (translation available @popppretty on Twitter)

And to that, I say main demographic: Who? It's no wonder it's under Seinin. It's for us folks who struggle at life unironically like the real-life authors themselves. Maybe BSD isn't fully a fan-fiction of authors and their literary works. Maybe... it's just what it means to be human. (and no, i'm not trying to add a 'no longer human' pun here. Asagari has a history of not correlating the authors real-life bio to ones in BSD, so I thought I'll just point it out. Not that it's bad by any means, but inspirations can differ by case by case basis, so it's important to remember that even the most controversial characters in the same universe do have their own inner demons which conflicts to their real life counterpart)

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Was scrolling through Twitter (X?) and read through some jjk theories, which i found @toshismayo to be interesting.

If Yuji is indeed a Zenin, that would explain a whole lot about the abnormal bodily strength he possesses. Remember Toji and his Heavenly Restriction? Well, if dude is his uncle and Yuji's grandfather is both the father of Jin and Toji, then family dynamics is about to get weird real quick. (Also, to refresh my memory, i went to check the wiki to confirm if Jin or Wasuke have any cursed techinques and found none - at least from the looks of it - rendering them as human as humans can be)

Anyways, this is just speculations. If true, then the Zenin clan may possibly be the clan to produce both gods (those capable of manipulating jujutsu socerery) and demi-gods (the abnomolies between non-socerers and socerers and maybe what kenjaku meant when he spoke of humanity's next evolution).

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If Toji's worm calling Geto mommy wasn't foreshadowing than wait for Geto 2.0. Gege's really out here pulling the disney card on all mothers alike to further plot development.

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I see, but if Gojo is Dazaified in the current BSD, then Dazai must be Geto in the Beast AU when he becomes the port mafia boss. Basically embodying the phrase: the end justifies the means.

They lived long enough to become the villain whether or not they were heros to begin with. A brilliant parellel if i do say so myself.

Gojo is Dazai, if Dazai had the Tainted Sorrow and Corruption.

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Everyone, let's give Gojo his long awaited dilf status. Not only did he come out of the box looking like Toji Fushioguro, but he woke up and chose violence.

The fact that he chose Chrismas Eve as the battle date is interesting. If you remember JJK volume 0, that was also the day of the night parade as orchestrated and led by Suguru Geto. It's like the coming of christ, the day Gojo's best friend died on the battlefield. Maybe this is another chance to properly bury geto's body instead of the half assed attempt the first time around.

Perhaps geto's conscience will be reawaken for a brief moment. But the parallels between the hidden inventory arc and volume 0 is too stark to ignore. Let's just hope Gojo doesn't end up like Toji because it's quite ironic how he's fought the father and soon, son.

Gege is coming full circle with this family saga in shakesparen fashion. Throw in some Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet; and this is the end product.

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If JJK is about generational differences, then Geto was probably right about one thing, some things never seem to change - monkeys humans.

Below, we have a list compiling traits of problematic conflicts with limited solutions:

Kenjaku, an ancient ancestor responsible for the chaos of several bloodlines. He might have given them Habsburg chin or some sort of inbreeding characteristics. They probably won't live long.

Sukuna, an ancient ex-sorcerer still on a vendetta against sorcerers. Backstory is still unknown and will probably remain unsolved at the end of the series, even when given info.

Tegan, an immortal entity who requires a sacrifice to maintain balance every few millennia? Are we sure we’re not summoning demons? A fairy godmother of some sort.

Jujutsu high, a recreational program for damaged children to become even more broken than they were before. There's time for kids to bond, grow apart, and become mature through various means of escape.

And finally, adults, omnipresent yet invisible all the time. Not the most helpful individuals or type to become. We are reminded they are not the central focus but became dependent on their existence somehow. Drives as a parallel.

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Manual to the Ultimate Angst

Spot the difference is getting harder to find these days. It seems like the universal response for these types of characters (mostly former overpowered leads) is to follow a formulaic pattern.

May I introduce the how-to guide to traumatize your audience?

Exhibit A: Interesting Tastes. A person falls for their best friend or rival which causes them to be inseparable. Oh, what were to ever happen if one was to leave. Lots of angst, ghosting them. Present in the past, may return for a cameo.

Exhibit B: Friendship is Magic. Forget traditional media romance, a bond lasting through several lifetimes is stronger than a little kiss. They are both mad for each other and would fight Hades to get the other back.

Exhibit C: Better than That Guy. Have someone you hate and despise in your life? What better way to get revenge than to be the person they failed to be or rise an army that's two times better.

Exhibit D: Guide Impressional Youths. Who needs to deal with trauma when you can continue the cycle, I mean fix it. Similar kids are grouped together and the person projects their life story onto them hoping it doesn't lead to the same outcome.

Exhibit E: Bother the Blondes. In short, the filler or replacement who has to listen to "that guy" ramble about the "one that got away." They are the third wheel and may never come close to the person they replaced. They just want to survive until the end, but may never get to.

Exhibit F: Play 4D Chess. While everyone is playing checkers, these are the ones thinking big, playing on an international scale as they come up with ways to win before their opponents reach them. They are the ones overly too excited, like knowing a secret you don't.

Exhibit G: Demon Arch Enemy. The person who will always be better than or compared to in terms of intelligence. Both are on opposing sides and yet have better than nothing to do than start chaos. Evil's neutral, peace was never an option.

Exhibit H: Caught in a Prediment (preferably boxes). When a character is too overpowered but you don't want to kill them off for that "what if" scenario. They are in exile thinking about how their lives reached up to this moment. Lots of spare time, presumably taking a nap which they lack. Everything around them literally falls apart.

Exhibit I: Sacrifice the Blondes. Have that moment you forgot to press save to your work? Well, forget hopes, dreams, and futures if they had one. Their departure will leave the audience as devasted or even worst than the guy who got away. Present throughout the story, but not the future.

Exhibit J: Meet the Ex. Returns for a cameo, leaves and everyone starts crying. Shows them they are better at a distance. May switch to opposing sides raising up the angst.

Exhibit K: The Villian Arc (Upcoming/In Progress) - sponsored from the Beast AU and Shibuya. The hero becomes the villain, an anti-hero if they're lucky. May die in the end and pupil honors them. They often won't reach said dream and it carries on to the next generation. Something the audience finds sadistic pleasure in.

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Interesting Thoughts

Did you know that Japan has one of the strictest gun policies in the world and yet the age of consent remains at thirteen?

After rewatching Bungo Stray Dogs, I like to imagine it's from the perspective of how foreigners view America when not directly mentioning them.

From guns, violence, and explosion every other day. The Guild is the most non-American part of the show besides from trying to micro-manage everyone if we exclude Mark's Twain (the sniper) and Moby's Dick dicks (canon).

These little group of Americans is using the power of the Gilded Age and Prohibition Era to obtain a goal. Two periods in American history known for having the odds against those not born into privilege.

Remember Mori, well it was what prompted me to research more about Japan's judicial laws on child labor and protection (I went Jake Hansen on him, I know). Before criticisms can be made, here's a brief history of how the age of consent came about.

The Penal Code which was founded in 1889 is still active and in use in modern-day Japan. The reason for that has to do with something called life expectancy, which was different and still changing in the present.

Compared to today where it's a little higher thanks to advancements in medicine, the 20th century was relatively still new on this whole "maybe I shouldn't date someone who looks like children."

For this comparison, I will be comparing US law to Japan since I'm an American. In similarity, both countries have this practice which is called "de jure de facto." Which in translation from Latin, explains how the events that happen in reality are compared to or recognized in law format.

In short, it's like state vs. federal government in the US. The federal decides on the boundaries of said laws and it's up to the states to decide where in between those borders they stand, that's why laws differ from state to state. Unless it reaches a border term, the government won't step in and let states do their thing.

This comparison is similar to Japan, they have federal and state policies. But replace states with prefectures. In most, the minimum age is actually 16-18 and on a national level, it's 13. This may seem like reverse psychology but it's actually there to put crooks in their place.

Just because the minimum is 13, it doesn't mean that it should be "your" level of standards. An analogy that I made up to try to understand this concept better is: If the minimum for passing a class is a C, why not go for something a little higher. Don't be basic, try going above and beyond that.

Yokohama is a city located in the Kanagawa prefecture, which rises it up to 18, thankfully. If Mori were to pull this stunt in the 21st century he would get flamed and hunted down. But to get historical, Meiji Japan, Mori (based on the time period of the author's lifespan) would have been socially acceptable.

For the average Meiji-era, the age of consent was based on an individual's mental age rather than physical. If we think of it this way, we can also interpret Elise to be Mori's mental age - a little bit odd but conflicting.

Maybe he was a child that never grew up, a body ever-changing with a mind stuck in the past. Anyways that's my ramble: Yokohama is America, Mori is a creep or just a very emotionally scarred man. Who knows.

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Endurance

What a missed opportunity to have John Steinbeck's ability be: Of Mice and Men. In DOA, we have Fyodor who is equivalent to George, Sigma as Lennie, and Nikolai, the wildcard (maybe Carlson).

At the core, it's a story about trying to achieve dreams and overcome loneliness. A unique premise with an equally tragic ending similar to Crime and Punishment.

The part where themes sort of juxtapose is when George justifies killing Lennie as an act of mercy, whereas Crime and Punishment does not, stating: "killing is never justified even if it's for the greater good." (Ironic isn't it, BSD Fyodor is really out there as a mass terrorist)

In both, we have a protagonist tasked with a "choice" which leads to their downfall. The innocent who suffers despite being the redeeming figure in this dark story and the survivors, with the burden of carrying the guilt of said actions.

As much as people try to excuse their actions, there will always be an external factor against them, if not themselves. For Raskolnikov, it was religion that brought him to the path of redemption, and George, none I guess. Besides from seeing Lennie suffer the consequences that were harsh at the time for the mentally ill.

It's a story about the extent of suffering people experience to pursue those dreams. Isolation from failure to connect or conform with others, and the heartthrob of it all: redemption to get a second chance in life even if it seems impossible.

Dostoevsky may not agree in accordance with Raskolnikov's actions, but the beauty of perspective is that we as the reader can agree - contradict with the story's moral.

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Attention to details: I love how out of all the adults, goose Chuuya is the smallest. Not pocket size but still deadly.

they're experiencing issues over at the Armed Detective Agency

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This reminds me of one of those dating advertisements. Looking for love, the purple flowers, I assume, is belladonnas. They are looking for beautiful ladies, how poetic.

Dazai Osamu and Fyodor Dostoevsky for the April issue of PASH Magazine

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A Tip from a Cookbook

Chapter 206 was obviously a throwback to Oda and his curry era. You see, a properly cooked curry should have oil floating to the top.

Sigma and Dazai were the proteins, and when bones are added, heat extract bone marrow - which contains high levels of fat.

Thus, a simple equation is born: water + heat + protein/bones = bone marrow (fat and collagen)

Fyodor is trying to get some of that bone marrow goodness for his anemia ass.

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You know how mail is either delivered in person or email. If physical is the hunting dogs via capsulate, imagine what digital will look like (my thoughts: a computer virus, scam link, or telemarketing call).

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Kunikida, being the considerate man he is, asks a dude if his car insurance covers theft is so strange yet thoughtful at the same time.

It's like thanking a person in advance before you rob from them. Their donation is going to a good cause, I guess.