#On Randou’s Genuine Compassion & Consideration and His Impossible Purity of Heart

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Randou and the Sins of Season 3’s Fifteen Adaption (Part 50/???)

Bones’ Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud (29/?)

Ah, and speaking of that very visible struggle of Arthur’s, this is not the only scene within the original telling of Fifteen through which we can catch an extremely good glimpse of it in action; as a matter of fact, the one we were just talking about prior — in which Dazai confronts our helpless associate executive at the abandoned warehouse during the preparation for Chuuya’s would-be party — holds an even more clear exhibition of this trait, as Randou grapples with his inability to understand, keep up with, and satisfy his accuser’s demands.

When we look at the true version of this scene with this perspective in mind, the ebony-haired man’s simple statement of “Basis coming from you, I can’t imagine what it is” suddenly takes on a whole new level of importance, as we can at last appreciate it for what it truly was: an honest admission from Rimbaud that he could not even begin to fathom Osamu’s all-too-cynical, analytical, and cold thought processes — and indeed, how could he have? The ill-fated frenchman and the much younger mafioso-to-be were as different as night and day.

Try as he might, quite literally even to save his own life, Arthur — being the pure-hearted, kind, and selfless soul that he is — could never in a million years have hoped to truly comprehend the mind of such a person as the devilish prodigy in front of him, and he no doubt knew that mortifyingly well.

After all, while the only time we may have absolutely guaranteed to us through the book that they were well and mutually acquainted with each other was the past year following the old boss’ assassination — and truthfully, that alone should really be time enough to get to know one another fairly extensively, anyway — that does not necessarily mean that this is the whole extent of their history together, either; on the contrary, there is actually quite a bit of evidence to back up the notion that the bandaged teen and the raven-haired mafioso should very well have been introduced long, long before that, should one take a few moments to consider the timeline of events as we, at present, can best understand them.

Indeed, though it might at first seem that Dazai had only actively been involved and known in the Port Mafia after the arranged death of the predecessor, this is actually highly unlikely, for, if this were genuinely to be true, it would mean that the boy had absolutely no standing within the organization prior to that moment, and that lack of pre-existing credibility would have created a major flaw in the usurper’s plan — a mistake that I find it very hard to believe the ever-thoughtful-towards-the-optimal-solution Mori would have overlooked, to say nothing of the fact that it never truly caused any of the fatal problems it inescapably would have if it had actually come to pass. No, without question, it’s far more sensible to just conclude that Dazai was already a highly esteemed and trustworthy figure in the Mafia by proxy, and that he was chosen by Mori as an accomplice for this very reason.

And as for Randou, there can be no doubt that he also had been in the Mafia for quite some time before Mori had taken over, considering not only how clearly established it is within the novel that the Hyperspace wielder had already been cruelly toiling away at the front line under the old boss’ reign for a considerable period prior to the organization’s change of hands, but also the fact that Dazai even goes so far as to call him a veteran in the business during the events of Fifteen — a title that one would normally not be able to earn unless they had put in several years worth of work into a given trade. What’s more, when we take into account the knowledge that by the time in which the novel takes place, Rimbaud has now been stranded alone in Japan with a heavy case of amnesia for roughly eight years following the failure of his mission with Verlaine, the idea that he had been working within the infamous criminal enterprise for that entire span of time actually seems rather plausible.

I hardly find it outrageous, then, in light of just how little debate there can be that Rimbaud came to know exactly how dark, cynical, and complex the bandaged young man’s views of the world and people around him were, to say that when the moment came that he was saddled with such heavy charges, the knowledge of those views must have been especially hard on him, for many, many reasons.

Naturally, the most immediately evident of these, to the average person, might very easily be his inability to fathom Dazai’s basis for ultimately finding his testimony objectionable or otherwise suspicious despite his relative honesty — and understandably so, especially given that it was this very issue which caused him to make the remark which we were just now analyzing in the first place; however, noteworthy as that one example may be, if we are ever to truly grasp Arthur’s plight in this moment to its full extent and genuinely come to understand him properly as an individual, it is utterly imperative that we realize that the consequences of his innocence run much, much deeper than this alone — as do his causes for concern.

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Randou and the Sins of Season 3's Fifteen Adaption (Part 49/???)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud (28/?)

The problems born out of this come in multitudes.

Naturally, the most unmistakable side-effect of this dilemma that we can see unfold in Fifteen are the times when Arthur fails at being able to figure out the precise details of a much emotionally and mentally darker individual’s reason for an action or idea, and the thought processes behind it.

His distinct part — or rather, total lack thereof — in the speculation about GSS’ motive for the attack on his mansion is one such instance, wherein we watch him greatly struggle with viewing things from the perspective of his would-be assailants, unable to truly understand on his own the exact motive they might have had for what they had done to him.

Astonishingly, I must confess that this is one of those very few moments in which the anime was much more obvious and direct in its display of Rimbaud’s true nature than even its source material had been — choosing, in lieu of having him simply not try to take any active part in the discussion at all, as was the traditional route, to instead make him openly, audibly express his ineptitude at discerning GSS’ incentive to the two young teens that had come to his rescue in words, asking them for their thoughts on why someone would ever want to do something so brutal, and why it was happening to *him* specifically, because he could not even begin to imagine it for himself.

With the novel’s context in mind, this makes perfect sense for his character; after all, as I said before and as Asagiri makes absolutely certain is clear to everyone with that one and only truly canonical version of the tale, throughout the entirety of his existence, Randou had never acted with his own self-interest in mind, nor was he really even truly capable of ever gaining such a mindset, when it came to the things he had done — especially not over something that could negatively impact another person’s life. Thus, in cases like GSS’ sudden attack on his mansion, where the exact reasoning behind the incident requires solving and the answer is not even remotely so pure or selfless as Arthur’s own motives tend to be, it is genuinely no surprise whatsoever that, rather than wasting any time on trying to figure it out himself — a task that he no doubt knew he stood no chance at completing, all too self-aware as he clearly was of his own weaknesses — he would instantly seek and ask for the expertise of others far less disadvantaged than he on the matter, in his place.

Of course, even with all of that being the case, that still doesn’t mean that I’m anywhere near naive enough to think that this change within the show was really being done with the ultimate preservation of Rimbaud’s authentic personality in mind, because it’s very apparent that that is in no way the case; in fact, if anything, I dare say I’m quite confident in affirming that their intent was most probably the exact opposite, considering that, paying due mind to all of Bones’ later actions with this adaption as a whole, and the false narrative that they had plainly chosen to tell therein, it seems much, much more likely that this scene was meant to play a different role and purpose entirely — one which would actually serve to further their agenda, rather than do harm to it. Yes, while it could very well have just been an innocent change made with no ill will behind it, I must admit that it is far easier to think, given their track record, that it is hardly an accident that to the average anime-only viewer, this altered scene could now work to accomplish nothing but to make the associate executive’s meekness and innocence merely seem even more terribly unbelievable and suspect once the disingenuous, forced shift in his character and tone is eventually ‘revealed’ at the end of the episode.

Nonetheless, whether it was truthfully done with good or bad intentions in mind, or even no intentions at all but to simplify the dialogue and make for a faster progression of the scene — which is another, albeit less interesting, possibility — the fact of the matter still remains that when looked at through the lens of a person who is aware of the character’s true self, these changes still served the best of these three possibilities very well, working as a much more on-the-nose interpretation of his thinking and behavior than its progenitor. 

Indeed, the anime’s idea was grand and, had it honestly been done with such noble aims as I would have liked to have been able to believe that it was, I would even have gone so far as to say it was an absolutely brilliant way to get the concept across in a largely visual and audio-based medium, but at the same, I also do not want to completely distract away from or totally ignore the original telling of this moment, either, as even if the book’s approach was a more subtle one that handled the subject in a somewhat more roundabout way compared to the television series’ interpretation, it nevertheless did manage to display Rimbaud’s authentic nature fairly nicely, itself, and was equally excellent in its own right.

Although no actual, verbal questioning of motive may have taken place on Randou’s part in said original version as it did in its derivative, by having the poor eternally freezing man fail to even make an attempt at contributing in any way to the conversation on why the attack occurred until after the boys hand him the answers, it nevertheless manages to achieve the same affect, with his silence clearly demonstrating to the reader his utter helplessness in this situation — a helplessness that even Bones themselves were able to read between the lines in order to recognize and decided to acknowledge within the anime, whatever their reason for doing so.

(...Well, either that or Asagiri took the time to stress that part to them, but I’m trying to use a more generous interpretation here...) [Next]

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“Randou & the Sins of Season 3′s Fifteen Adaption”: A Grand Directory & Master List (Part 1)

Looking for a specific portion of my article, or just want to have every part readily available in one place? I’ve got you covered! In here, you can access every part of my article that exists!

Seeing as that much of my article has yet to be posted at this time, this post will have to be edited with sections and subsections and their links as I go along, but rest assured that it shall be done! 

If you are considering sharing my article with anyone you know or wish to reblog it in general, please prioritize reblogging this page most of all, as it offers the most complete access of all of the posts I will be making.  Thank you for your interest, and I hope you enjoy!

Linkle's Mini-Handbook of Relevant Bungou Stray Dogs and General Fandom Terms You Might Want to Know:

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Disclaimer and Notes:

Part 1/6 (Post 1/? Total)

Part 2/6 (Post 2/? Total)

Part 3/6 (Post 3/? Total)

Part 4/6 (Post 4/? Total)

Part 5/6 (Post 5/? Total)

Part 6/6 (Post 6/? Total)

Episode 26 — Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old:

The Opening Scene, Chuuya’s Motives, and the First Introduction of Arahabaki

(Part 1/3) (Post 7/? Total) (Part 2/3) (Post 8/? Total) (Part 3/3) (Post 9/? Total)

Dazai’s Difference in Personality and Mori’s Dealings with the Two Teenagers (Part 1/3) (Post 10/? Total) (Part 2/3) (Post 11/? Total) (Part 3/3) (Post 12/? Total)

Episode 27 — The God of Fire:

The First Battle Scene and Dazai’s Following Interaction with Chuuya

(Part 1/2) (Post 13/? Total) (Part 2/2) (Post 14/? Total)

The Confrontation with Sheep at the Arcade (Part 1/2) (Post 15/? Total) (Part 2/2) (Post 16/? Total)

Interlude

(Episode  27 — The God of Fire: A Post-Section Addendum)

(New Working Link to DarkestJay’s English Translation of Fifteen & Commentary on the Discrepancies Therein (PLEASE READ)) 

Episode 28 — Only a Diamond Can Polish a Diamond:

Shirase, the Sheep’s Betrayal of Chuuya, and Dazai’s Deal

(Part 1/3) (Post 17/? Total) (Part 2/3) (Post 18/? Total) (Part 3/3) (Post 19/? Total)

Chuuya’s Question to Mori

(Part 1/1) (Post 20/? Total)

Chuuya’s Outfit Post-Entry into the Mafia and Dazai’s State of Health

(Part 1/1) (Post 21/? Total)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud 

Chuuya’s Restraints & The First Glimpse of Randou’s Ability

(Part 1/6) (Post 22/? Total) (Part 2/6) (Post 23/? Total) (Part 3/6) (Post 24/? Total) (Part 4/6) (Post 25/? Total) (Part 5/6) (Post 26/? Total) (Part 6/6) (Post 27/? Total)

Rumors of the Origin of Suribachi City and Arahabaki

(Part 1/3) (Post 28/? Total) (Part 2/3) (Post 29/? Total) (Part 3/3) (Post 30/? Total)

Randou in the Burning Mansion & the Encounter With Arahabaki (Part 1/7) (Post 31/? Total) (Part 2/7) (Post 32/? Total) (Part 3/7) (Post 33/? Total) (Part 4/7) (Post 34/? Total) (Part 5/7) (Post 35/? Total) (Part 6/7) (Post 36/? Total) (Part 7/7) (Post 37/? Total)

Something Missing: Arahabaki’s Mysterious Memories (Part 1/1) (Post 38/? Total)

Dazai and Randou’s Party for Chuuya

(Part 1/?) (Post 39/? Total) (Part 2/?) (Post 40/? Total) (Part 3/?) (Post 41/? Total)

On Dazai's Skin-Deep Kindness & Playfulness, and His True Views

(Part 4/?) (Post 42/? Total) (Part 5/?) (Post 43/? Total)

On Randou’s Genuine Compassion & Consideration, and His Impossible Purity of Heart

(Part 6/?) (Post 44/? Total) (Part 7/?) (Post 45/? Total) (Part 8/?) (Post 46/? Total) (Part 9/?) (Post 47/? Total) (Part 10/?) (Post 48/? Total) (Part 11/?) (Post 49/? Total) (Part 12/?) (Post 50/? Total) [See Masterlist Part 2 (Post 51 and beyond)]

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“Randou & the Sins of Season 3′s Fifteen Adaption”: A Grand Directory & Master List (Part 2)

[Back to Masterlist Part 1 (Posts 1-50 + Interlude and Update)]

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud 

On Randou’s Genuine Compassion & Consideration, and His Impossible Purity of Heart

(Part 13/?) (Post 51/? Total) (Part 14/?) (Post 52/? Total) (Part 15/?) (Post 53/? Total) (Part 16/?) (Post 54/? Total)

[More to be Added.]

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Randou and the Sins of Season 3's Fifteen Adaption (Part 45/???)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud (24/?)

On Randou’s Genuine Compassion & Consideration, and His Impossible Purity of Heart

Ah yes, Arthur’s true nature — another important matter that the original version of this scene played a key role in further establishing and clarifying in many critical ways, but which was tragically ‘lost’ in the tale’s transition into animated form. No, on second thought, let me be more blunt about that; to use the word ‘lost’ to describe these events — even ironically — would still be to grant Bones too much plausible deniability, as I fear that the intention behind this word might somehow be missed by someone, even as I try my best to make that clear. This information about and characterization of Rimbaud was not lost; it was cut, intentionally, because it was not convenient��to them.

What the studio does to Fifteen and its ‘anti-villain’ antagonist — yes, anti-villain is the closest term to fit Randou, though not exactly to a tee, for reasons you’ll find out later — is not done in error or with any degree of innocence, but rather, with full desire to essentially ‘reverse’ the audience’s perception of him and Dazai from what they would have been under the preservation of the original plot by demonizing the former and romanticizing the latter.

Yes, you heard me correctly; in the source material, those two individuals are the complete opposite of what the anime would like you to believe they are.

In the novel, whereas Dazai’s behavior is shown to always be extremely self-centered and manipulative at heart, Randou’s words and actions are, by contrast, almost never anything less than entirely genuine, as is the pure kindness and compassion they exude — a statement which, I’m sure, has many people poised at this very moment to comment how ludicrous they believe it is in light of his later willingness to fight against Dazai and Chuuya, but for those of you who are wanting to do so, I must ask that you please just kindly refrain until you have at least taken the time to fully read through the rest of this article, as I think you will soon find upon doing so that things are not quite as you believe them to be in that case, either.

Indeed, even Dazai himself, in spite of his extremely cynical view of everything around him and his initial refusal to outright admit that Arthur is exactly that kind of person in so many words, still openly acknowledges in numerous other different ways that Rimbaud’s sincerity is nonetheless just as real as anything ever could be, whether he always intended to or not — long before he is forced to accept, at the end of it all, that it is the gospel truth.

Before we can even think about going over the things which the bandaged teen has said and done that support this notion, though, we first have to properly explore what Arthur’s personality and true nature even is, as well as where we can see it all most clearly, as there is a lot more to be learned and understood about him in Fifteen than might meet the eye at a first glance.

While the primary, most obvious testimony to his overly caring ways throughout all that we have already discussed might be the extreme patience, desire to please, and overall soft-spoken gentility that he shows within these particular interactions with Dazai, these are far from the only examples we have to look at when trying to get a closer look at what kind of a person he is, and much less are such basic personality traits the sole information we can learn about him.

No, indeed, the understanding of Arthur that we are given in the novel goes much, much deeper than that; if you only look a bit closer, you will quickly see that — as opposed to the anime’s incredibly simplistic, extremely shallow rendition of his person — he is his own fully fleshed out, carefully researched and lovingly written individual who easily stands out in many ways from the rest of the already distinct and highly dissimilar cast.

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