missinconsistent

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When is Yun ever going to be important in akayona again 🥲

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I know the fandom is almost non-existent in 2025, but I've been fixated on Buried Stars since watching a stream of the game, and I need to ramble about Route A "mutual reliance" ending between Doyoon and Gyu-hyuk bc there's so much to unpack.

Spoilers for Route A:

The "mutual reliance" achievement is unlocked if Doyoon is unable to pick out the right clues and catch Gyu-hyuk as the murderer just before the rescue team saves the remaining party. Everyone convinces Doyoon that he's talking nonsense, and he is forced to accept the idea that Seil murdered Hyesung and proceeded to kill himself to avoid being held accountable.

But it's clear deep down, he knows that's not the truth. It eats at Doyoon that the truth is out there, and he failed to find it. He finds himself stuck in a reality where something is wrong and he is the only one who knows this, which affects his mental as he recovers in the hospital.

While Juyoung and Inha's chapters close out the same as the True Ending, bringing their personal arcs to a satifisying close as the two decide to face their past struggles and move forward for the better, Gyu-hyuk's closing chapter is obviously... off-putting.

For one, his ending section isn't right after Inha's and Juyoung's. So it is quite literally out of place. Moreover, while Juyoung and Inha's new sprite shows them standing upright, in a warm light and in a medium shot (head to waist),

Gyu-Hyuk's final appearance is noticeably "greyer" and is a medium close-up (head to chest). He takes up more of the screen, and his image is slightly tilted. Making him dominate the screen and appear "off."

Doyoon mentions that Gyu-hyuk has been visiting him every day. Which may just seem like Gyu-hyuk being a good friend. It can also be seen as Gyu-hyuk building up a dependent relationship between the two, by making sure Doyoon believes that Gyu-hyuk is the one who cares most about him, so that there is no reason for Doyoon to ever doubt Gyu-hyuk.

Gyu-hyuk pats Doyoon's shoulder, making the latter wince from pain, physically symbolizing that while Gyu-hyuk is trying to comfort and help Doyoon, he's only causing Doyoon more pain.

Gyu-hyuk says Doyoon can always lean on him, and Gyu-hyuk wouldn't be standing if it weren't for Doyoon saving him from the falling debris (a gratitude Gyu-hyuk has mentioned multiple times throughout the game). The biggest way Gyu-hyuk tries to repay this life debt is to redeem Doyoon's image as Betrayer. Gyu-hyuk tells Doyoon that he will never betray him.

The emphasis on never betraying Doyoon is meant to parallel how Doyoon has been labeled as the Betrayer by the public. It is initially believed throughout the game that Doyoon was wrongfully labeled as a Betrayer by some of his former bandmates and by Seongyeon that wanted to use this Betrayer backstory to boost interest in Bstars. The contestants assure Doyoon that the label isn't true since they're all familiar with the manipulative narratives and editing of the show.

It's only in the True End that Doyoon confesses he did, in fact, betray the band.

However, in the "mutual reliance" end, he is unable to admit this. He continues to carry the guilt of betraying his bandmates and is never able to face it head-on. He continues to bottle it inside, and the guilt of being the Betrayer only worsens with the fact that he feels as though he betrayed Hyesung and Seil, tooby failing to catch the killer.

So, Gyu-hyuk saying that he will never betray Doyoon is nothing but an empty gesture, as Gyu-hyuk doesn't know that Doyoon really is a Betrayer, and Doyoon doesn't know that Gyu-hyuk is the real murderer who put Doyoon in this traumatic state.

I read it as Gyu-hyuk trying to convince Doyoon that, unlike his former bandmates, he will never leave Doyoon. That because Gyu-hyuk is someone who "knows" Doyoon isn't a Betrayer, Gyu-hyuk sees himself as the most important, reliable person Doyoon has close to him.

Doyoon gets lost in thought about Hyesung and Seil. He still can't shake off the feeling that the truth of their attacker is out there, and he failed to bring the truth to light. This could be a mistranslation, so I won't dwell as much, but when Doyoon starts to cry, thinking of "departed friends," Gyu-hyuk's response is "I'm okay" as if he's already assuming that Doyoon is thinking of him. However, Gyu-hyuk's words can also be translated to "It's okay," so it's hard to say for sure if he was talking about himself.

Either way, Gyu-hyuk tries to turn Doyoon's attention back onto him. Gyu-hyuk continues to assure that the two can always rely on each other, really hammering the idea of co-dependency between the two, and probably pulling at Doyoon's survivor's guilt.

Doyoon grabs onto Gyu-hyuk's arm, confirming this unhealthy relationship. Then, probably the most shocking line of dialogue to come out of Gyu-hyuk's mouth is when he says, "Doyoon, get over it. You have me."

There is a lot about this scene with Gyu-hyuk that feels off, but it could be passed off as Gyu-hyuk just caring for Doyoon as a friend, his affection to repay Doyoon for saving him, and him wanting Doyoon to focus on recovery. But the "get over it" is uncharacteristically blunt coming from a character like him. Plus, the narration highlights that Gyu-hyuk's "kind voice sounded distant," showing that his kindness is not sincere.

It confirms that Gyu-hyuk has gained control over Doyoon. And "won" since he gets away with the crime.

...

Okay, now why does Gyu-hyuk feel so strongly attached to Doyoon? Like Gyu-hyuk says, a lot of it is because Doyoon saved his life at the start of the game. But it's a lot more than just repaying the gesture.

We learn about Gyu-hyuk's tragic backstory. How he and his mom depended on each other to survive after his father neglected them both. His mom was also ill with diabetes, so Gyu-hyuk was used to taking care of others (we also see this with how he takes care of Juyoung whenever she's on the verge of a panic attack). In the True End, he expresses how hurt he was when his mom committed suicide. Before that, he felt that despite the hard times, the two could get through anything. So he was devastated to see his mom give up and "leave" him.

He clearly developed some serious attachment issues due to his upbringing. Throughout the game, Gyu-hyuk opens up to Doyoon more and more. He admitted how before, he always kept to himself and was hesitant to get close to people. But eventually, he shares parts of his life with Doyoon that he's never shared with others.

His attachment issues from losing his mom(s) extend onto Doyoon. Gyu-hyuk was so used to being codependent when his mom was alive (financially but also morally). And Doyoon because the perfect replacement to fulfill that side of him.

And like his mom, he definitely grappled with suicidal thoughts (and in different endings of the game, Gyu-hyuk will kill himself). I'm certain that if Gyu-hyuk was crushed by the falling debris, he wouldn't have cared about dying so much. But Doyoon saved him anyway. Literally giving him another chance at life. Although, he uses that chance to murder 3 people to avenge his mom, clinging onto his trauma.

In the ending where he isn't caught, Gyu-hyuk doesn't show regret for what he did, but it doesn't mean he isn't drowning in guilt. Obviously, having 3 deaths in his hands would weigh heavily on his consciousness. And to try and push away the guilt, Gyu-hyuk convinced himself that Doyoon was the one who gave him the opportunity to do it. That if his killing speee wasn't meant to be, Gyu-hyuk would've died under the falling debris instead. But he didn't, so there had to be a purpose in all of it.

That maybe Doyoon saving him means he was someone worth saving (for more than just his popularity). And he wants to live up to that expectation for Doyoon.

His closeness to Doyoon is also his way of repenting. He believes that if he takes care of Doyoon— the man who saved him from the falling debris— he would be "making up" for the sins he committed. Gyu-hyuk looks at Doyoon as a selfless hero (not knowing Doyoon did betray his former band). And Gyu-hyuk wants Doyoon to look at him in the same vain. He wants Doyoon, who he assumes embodies righteousness, to be someone who thinks Gyu-hyuk is a good person. Through this, Gyu-hyuk can believe that about himself and alleviate himself of the guilt, even if that means making sure Doyoon never finds out what he did.

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I wanna do a full analysis on this trio and how important the dynamic is between them.

Like, they are such a well-done love triangle, because they are friends before it.

They each played a role in the dynamic and it would fall apart without any one of them. It did fall apart without one of them.

There is jealousy, but it's signifies somehing much more than it.

There is jealousy, but there is friendship (and maybe even interepreted as love) at the same time.

There was never any true resentment, just childish ones that caused a horrible accident. We immediately see after that the one crying his damn lungs out is Yang Cheng.

I swear, I will do a full scale analysis of this trio hen I'm free, but they are constantly on my mind.

My favourite polycule-

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Ohhhhhh wait Yang Cheng can’t take his helmet off anymore bc he can’t reveal his identity. He needs the fans of BOTH old and new E-Soul, so he can’t confirm who he is.

Kinda funny seeing ppl theorize over which E-Soul died, since that’s probably what he was going for.

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No more,,, I wont draw the rest of them Im too lazy and Im tired 🫩

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*cracks knuckles* if canon won't give me more yang cheng and pomelo interactions I'll just have to make them myself

full piece :)

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Final thoughts on E-Soul's arc (spoilers ahead for ep 5–7). I'm just rambling, so this won't be orderly.

I liked how Yan Cheng and Shang Chao were foils to one another. Yan Cheng was a quiet, anxious orphan, while Shang Chao was a confident, business-savvy son of a CEO. It would've been nice to see the two interact one-on-one more to show how much they juxtaposed one another, but I think the show did a good job considering the number of episodes.

After Shang Chao's death, not only was Yan Cheng distraught after watching his friend die, but he was also guilt-ridden that he let jealousy takeover in the moments he had to save Shang Chao. He was reminded of how—even before he became E-Soul—he always lacked the resolve to act, and it haunted him.

I liked how Xia Ching wasn't just a love interest, but really represented Yan Cheng's resolve or lack thereof. Xia Ching liked Yan Cheng for who he was, even before he became E-Soul. She wanted to know the kind of person he was: the shy, awkward kid from college - or the dorky yet spirited actor on the stage, and in the end, he became someone totally different from either.

I think it's so interesting that when she asks Yan Cheng if he's really doing what he wants (fighting old E-Soul), he says "yes," after some hesitation. Because that wasn't what he wanted. From the start of the arc, he wanted to ask Xia Ching out on a date to go to the Lucky Cyan concert with her but kept chickening out. But when asked, he abandons it altogether to pursue E-Soul instead, and on the day of the concert, which further proves his decision to leave his old life behind.

I saw Xia Ching as a representation of his feelings of anxiety and him doubting himself at every turn since that's how he always felt around her. But at the same time, it obviously represents that he had lost himself. When he finally gained the resolve and confidence he was lacking, it was when he abandoned his pursuit of asking out that girl he liked to pursue vengeance. He lost his innocence.

If I were to nitpick, I would have liked to know more of what Xia Ching wanted from Yan Cheng. I thought it was weird that her and Shang Chao fought to have Yan Cheng keep the E-Soul brand. Xia Ching held firm for Yan Cheng to call himself E-Soul and urged him to always be brave, but then when he decides to face off the real E-Soul for the title, she tells him it's okay to run away and he doesn't have to do it...?

I mean, I get she didn't want to lose another friend, but it was a little confusing to me. Maybe seeing what happened to Shang Chao, she felt like if Yan Cheng continued to call himself E-Soul, he'd also be in danger. It would've been nice to hear her argue with Yan Cheng to not be E-Soul anymore while Yan Cheng is set from taking the E-Soul identity entirely for himself. But their argument was kind of... vague so idk.

Also, it was a bit weird that Polemo was prominent in episode 5, then hardly showed up in episode 6, and just wasn't in episode 7 at all. I get there wasn't a lot of room to fit him inti the story after establishing Yan Cheng's powers, but it does feel like he was quickly forgotten about which is kind of a shame because his dynamic with Yan Cheng was really cute.

Anyways, the real meat and potatoes are the dynamic between old and young E-Soul. We don't get to spend a lot of time getting to know Old E-Soul. We never even get to see his face. Throughout the whole arc, he remains a large mystery.

There is an interesting contrast between young and old, and how old E-Soul never really cared much about rankings. Meanwhile, young E-Soul obviously cared a lot of rankings. Not only was he trying to establish himself, but Yan Cheng has some deep-seeded trauma, having had 0 trust value for most his life.

And while Old E-Soul didn't see young E-Soul as a threat unless his manager pushed him to, Yan Cheng very much saw old E-Soul as a threat to him. Even if Yan Cheng didn't believe in the conspiracy that Old E-Soul was behind Shang Chao's murder, Old E-Soul was still a threat that kept Yan Cheng from ever becoming a top 10 super hero since he was using the same name.

That's probably what led to Old E-Soul losing in the end (or so it seems, we never see the face of the winner). By the end, Yan Cheng was a lot riskier and resolute in being the only E-Soul, while Old E-Soul was mostly passive and hesitant (ironically) in competing with the younger talent.

If we got to spend more time with him, it would have been nice to get more insight into what happened the night of Yan Cheng's parents' death. Why Old E-Soul couldn't save anyone but Yan Cheng, and what exactly happened? I wonder if Old E-Soul was burdened by that guilt, the same way Yan Cheng is with Shang Chao's death.

I think it's interesting that there's very little interaction between young and old E-Soul, but Yan Cheng's relationship with E-Soul is mostly shaped by the other characters around him. Polemo represents the same big-eyed admiration Yan Cheng had for Old E-Soul as a child. Representing a new generation. The way Yan Cheng saw Shang Chao as a rival having qualities he didn't possess pushed Yan Cheng's resolve not to lose to another rival (Old E-Soul) again. And Xia Ching represents the decisions Yan Cheng makes.

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E-Soul's arc was a massive upgrade to Nice. They had a much better-paced, focused story arc, and they accomplished it in 3 episodes rather than 4. I hope the series keeps improving in this trajectory. But I'm still bummed to hear they're not doing the 3D animation. At least not for a while...?

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I like to think that old E-Soul lost the battle to Yan Cheng because he couldn't hurt an innocent kid, like a real hero

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You were our very own dorky hero. And then I saw you become another hero on stage. The roles couldn't be more different, but your convictions stayed the same. You clearly knew what you wanted, and you knew what you were striving for.

Tell me, is that conviction still there?

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You know, he may be the devil incarnate, but hats off to Uncle Rock for the sheer amount of personal effort he put into Yang Chen. Like. He could absolutely have hired somebody to raise Yang Chen, but no, he fully adopted the identity of a bubble tea seller and spent presumably years in this role just so he could groom Yang Chen personally. That's dedication.

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the three empty seats do not talk to me i am distraught😭

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E-Soul!

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the winner takes it all

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Wait, what. TBHX is switching to 2D now??? Why??? The 3D animation was what made it unique 😭 and it was like the MAIN animation style, more than 2D. Wtf whyyyy

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I've only watched Invincible on Prime but I get YouTube reels about the comics, and I'm just like, what in the actual fuck is going on in that story 🙃

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I'm still going to believe in this!! If the belief of the public was able to physically keep Lin Ling's Nice from leaving his apartment, that could mean that because they hadn't known about Nice's death when it happened and believed he was still alive, that could've also kept him from dying. Plus, he has superstength. It's hard to believe falling off from a building would have been enough to kill him easily 🤞

What if Nice is still alive and he comes back as a villain (copium)