#also fumiko

[goreygirl03]

I need Nayuta to be okay or else I will cry. These fuckers need to leave that little girl alone 😭😭😭😭

Fujimoto stop breaking my heart pleaseeeeee

[iridescentscarecrow]

what frustrates me about fandom interpretations of makima as a one note Source of evil, apart from the fact that the manga itself refutes this, is that her character haunts and ties together so much of part two that it's impossible to fully understand without understanding her.

makima isn't ever a unilateral antagonistic force. she's an agent of the institutional evil that looms over all of CSM. she's in as much a commentary on gender and performance of gender as denji is.

and fjmt in part two enacts the "haunting the narrative" trope in such an interesting manner because you see flashes of makima in every female character. you see elements of her diluted into, most visibly, the characters of asa, nayuta and fumiko.

in asa, i see makima in that yearning for connection. i see her in the way that asa herself is fundamentally unable to approach the relationship of equals that she so desperately desires, partly due to her own social awkwardness but also because of yoru's threat: everyone she gets close to turns into a weapon. the fundamental inequality to human relationships that makima is unable to overcome.

during the aquarium date, you see asa echo makima again and again in lines that evoke makima's purposing of denji. that weaponising. "i'll grant you any request / save me chainsaw man! / you don't have to think about a thing."

and her connection with denji also founds itself upon this. yoshida talks to asa about parasocial relationships -- rerendering makima's idealisation of the CSM in how asa sees denji as a love interest. asa and denji parallel each other so organically in their gendered suppression and portrusion of desire. it's a punctuation of denji's search for intimacy that's mirrored by makima's in part one. exploring how asa is different from makima is perhaps the most intriguing part of this reflection though: an example being the way asa overthinks her outfit for her date with denji while makima seamlessly models herself into an Effortless woman.

[it's not like asa borrows just from makima. for example, there are things to be said about the way she views her Body (as compared with reze and quanxi) but examining how mkm's character bleeds into asaden is quite compelling.]

nayuta being the most visible remnant of what makima was is also interesting because makima herself appears so little in nayuta beyond the surface. nayuta's role as the control devil is hinted at frequently as is her appearance resembling makima's

but her and denji's dynamic more often echoes the hayakawa family and pochita than anything else. consider: aki giving up his goal (his 'easy revenge' that he finally sees for what it is) for the sake of his family, that warmth of blood and platonic bodily intimacy that power embodies--

it's all referenced to again with nayuta and denji, in direct panel callbacks and the plot itself! nayuta is The Family that makima constructs for denji in part one to pull him along the plot she prepares. i'm thinking about how makima is an allegory for capitalism. and what the family unit means in a capitalistic structure. the propagation of an ideal that hinges on birth and descendancy, about narrative and reproduction of narrative, about how nayuta births herself from makima and denji's relationship.

and this is also why nayuta herself exerts so much control over denji in the plot, as well as why she's used as a piece to control him. in part one, family was used to create the Chainsaw Man from denji. in part two, it's used to make denji abandon the Chainsaw Man, this icon that the church and the public now take possession of. [something something alienation of the worker from the product. from the collective. from the self.]

fumiko is perhaps the hardest to pin down here because her role evolves as the fandomisation of the Chainsaw Man evolves too. in fact, as a denji fan, she represents not just makima but multiple people who see something in and want something from denji! (think of how she references reze in her highlighting how denji is just a child; how reze uses her commentary on denji to engage with her Self. it's fandomisation,,, and what is makima but Chainsaw Man's fan?)

fumiko most obviously calls back to these wants and their conceptualisation of denji in the raw sexual violence that the events in the theater scene moving into the karaoke scene embody. the undercurrent of sa that runs through p1 and p2 is brought to the forefront in this scene -- denji falling back into these cycles of abuse, him slipping into habitating the wants of others (his initial horrified expression and then his grin during the fight. his initial inner monologue and then the cut to him licking the tentacle.)

so much of CSM rests on this fandom of denji, this theme of what production and idealisation means, one you can trace through fjmt's body of work. and this fandom reaches its crescendo in p2. what's even more interesting about fumiko is her pathos under this layer. her seeing denji as denji at some level but in the end, her handling of him is so selfish. her echoing makima's uninhibited laughter at the horror of denji's situation, her predatory cruelty. denji simultaneously humanised and dehumanised through her fandom.

fjmt's characters exist as foils, as parallels and ideas. makima's character has such a stranglehold over part one and these ideas run over into part two naturally -- as a consequence of denji being a reciever of these themes, but also deliberately in fjmt evoking the Thing that is makima repetitively -- to underscore the forever re emerging structure that denji and now asa are trapped in. the same structure that makima produced and was simultaneously caged by.

[sugar-grigri]

If Fumiko is monstrous then Fujimoto should start presenting her as such

Fumiko is written to remind us that Denji is a child, and I repeat, she is the symbol of a child's sexual trauma in all its horror and "paradoxes".

Touching Denji without his consent, catching an adolescent who hasn't yet discovered himself off guard, is the most obvious way of proving the link between the theme of sexual assault and Fumiko, but it doesn't stop there.

The fact that Denji accepts only proves this point: it shows just how much he's someone who needs boundaries and protection. He passively listens to what he's told without question simply because Fumiko has the upper hand.

She has one, but spends her time pretending she doesn't, in particular by disguising her age like a predator, calling him "senpai" when she's 22, and playing up her protective role as a "bodyguard" when she's only there to stop Denji thinking for himself

As can be seen in the dialogue between Miri and Denji, she positions herself as an interlocutor, standing in Denji's shadow, influencing his decisions and distracting the boy from the substance of Miri's message.

But she's a complete paradox, still trying to make Denji believe she's protecting him, she refers to Chainsaw Man as a "child", which rather than demonstrating a good intention shows that she's well aware of what Denji is and that she's abusing him head-on.

Who protects a child by attacking him?

Once again, I insist, these are two pages from the same chapter. Dare you tell me that Fumiko doesn't present any contradictions?

Above all, she makes it seem as if she only wants what's best for Denji, even when he hasn't responded to her pleas for help. Once again, there's a paradox: the predator blames her victim for not having seen her own vulnerability, whereas she’s only abusing those of her victim.

Fumiko is a metaphor for the very dangerousness of sexual assault, gentle on the surface but insidious, its violence only made clear and felt after the event, rising like a tide.

When Yoshida convinces Denji to give up his normal life, he leaves him in the hands of Fumiko, a public hunter, who symbolises the extent to which, despite the monster in front of them, danger also exists among men, and that the milieu of public hunters is a harmful world for a child.

I think the reason Fujimoto doesn't immediately place Fumiko in a position of condemnation is to instil a feeling of frustration and powerlessness at seeing Denji unprotected, to make it clear that "he's missing something", a parental figure.

But I think that for the writing to be complete, the author has to take a clear stance on the subject, in his own way of course, but explicitly

Seeing Fumiko next to Denji makes me anxious, it's such a common form of violence that it pulls me out of my reading.

Fumiko is a monster, so I pray that Fujimoto will have fun explicitly detailing her dark side and her horror.

If he doesn't, then she'll remain an unfinished and confusing chimera, the result of lazy writing and a fear of commitment.

[therealsoulking]

Chainsaw Man Chapter 156

It's been a hard two weeks for us, but it's been even harder for Denji...

Mr. Yoshida, welcome back, glad you're here to h-

Why do I even bother

Well, it looks like Public Safety is now roundly against Denji and his freedom (same as it ever was), not even Fumiko has an ounce of sympathy for our boy.

Legally no longer his own, his dear sister's fate unknown, without an ally in the world, and currently being stripped for parts (are they trying to run down his regeneration?), who is to be our young Hybrid's savior?

ASA MITAKA

IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU BACK!

unless it's a renegade Nayuta, I'm not the kind of perv who can differentiate girls by their ankles.

BUT IT'S BEEN A LONG FOUR MONTHS

[closet-is-tired]

Happy 148 csm tumblr!

Spoilers under the cut!

I have so many more of these, so I guess this is gonna be part 1? Idk

[my-fancy-hat]

In the last few chapters I've noticing bits of similarities between some characters and the course of action with part 1 that, well, coming from the same author is kind of expected, but lately they've been more and more explicit and I can't help but think that maybe! there's an intention on mirrowing Denji's current development to part 1's while leading the plot toward the new "bomb girl" arc for part 2.

At first, Denji is introduced in the beggining of a new arc with an internal conflict about himself and/or his place in the world in the dichotomy of what he actually feels about his situation and what he SHOULD feel compared to someone else reaction: Aki's heartbreak for Himeno's death versus Denji's lack of empathy for the loss and the world living as it is in normalcy versus his discomformity about it. This opens a key question that will haunt Denji for the next chapters, looking for an answer capable of content him: "Do I still have a human heart?" and "Nothing beats a normal life?"

In the meantime and uncertainty, Denji is invited to hang out to a cinema date by a person who may are able to understand what afflicts him at the moment and so, influencing him:

In csm cinema is potrayed as a place of reflection and contemplation about life itself, and as Makima bringed on this concept, movies can change one's worldview. At the end of part 1 we discover that all the control devil wanted was to find an equal, to form genuine and equal relationships of mutual care like a family does; this by extention resonates with Denji because, even in his ineptitude to identify these kind of emotional issues due his lack of experience with other people and life in general, is what he wishes as well, connection, aceptance and companionship. This is why the last scene of the last movie touched both of them to the point of tears, as if the big screen did bring back to life and exposed before their eyes their most hidden desire.

On the other hand, one of the main goals Denji had was to achieve a normal life, pushing him foward since chapter 1 to secure it and do what he has missed of life or what he should be doing as a teen of his age. Such want seems not to be unique of Denji because Yoshida has also vocalized (when the oportunity is given) on wanting to know what normalcy is about, tagging along with Denji in multiple occasions, between classes, skipping classes, getting treats and coffee in their way, talking about girls, etc. Going to school, hanging out, a home to return to, good memories of childhood to look back, to have a lovely family and friends, I think is what both wish or wished to have, and so it's projected on screen in a familiar scenario, maybe a callback to the token of part 1 tragedies-accomplishment of this way of living, a little girl that could possibly be Nayuta with her schoolbag, heading to school?

But, where the view was hindered by tears of catharsis, now it is by the corpse of a demon that spattered its blood on the screen. The answers were deliverated, but Denji stills comes to his seatmate for the final confirmation:

...to both of them leaving him alone behind in the realization of this induced epiphany. While with Makima it was a relief, that in fact he has a heart capable of love and care therefore capable of connecting with others, Yoshida leaves a sour taste in Denji's mouth. The normalcy that Denji dreamed of is not what he found; that reality also contemplates loneliness, boredom and disappointment too.

In other parallels that are worth notting are the assignation of a new bodyguard replacement for Denji by Makima and Yoshida to facilitate vigilance and security over him:

And, how Denji's reaction to this isn't that welcoming making him disappointed of their new partner even tho his bodyguards are, in fact, big fans of chainsaw man:

Culminating on, as for now, with the introduction of a "friendly" pretty face hybrid:

With all this I want to make it clear that I do not want to pretend or demostrate that Yoshida = Makima, that sword man will be Denji's new love interest or smth or even worse to compare Beam with Fumiko for have approached Denji without his consent, like, no. These characters are playing similar roles already potrayed by someone else in part 1 now with Denji in part two conserving their own traits and unique issues. I don't know if authors put this much thought on their writting to come up with these kind of things nonetheless I'm so excited how things will play out this time for Denji since, if we follow bomb girls course, Sword man appearance may not hold many good intentions for Denji, explaining why Yoshida assigned Fumiko to protect him in anticipation of this new enemy, just like Makima did against Reze.

EDIT:

hmmm🏴

[freshluxbreeze]

csm 150

SOMEONE POINTED OUT ON TWT THAT MEOWY DIED TOO AND 🧎🏾

[cinaminrolll]

BRO BRO GET DENJI OUT OF THERE!! THIS IS NOT OKAY!!

…i feel sick, just sick

[simonxriley]

Skylar "Phoenix" Jackson (r6s) | Liz Walker (CoD) Himiko Nakamoto (Demon Slayer) | Fumiko Nakamoto (Demon Slayer) Naho Kaneko (mha) | Aoi (mha) Kai'Sa Blake (aot) | Redacted (Spy x Family)

I was tagged by the wonderful @leviiackrman @chuckhansen @chazz-anova @detectivelokis @corvosattano and @playstationmademe to use this cute picrew for some of the kiddos. Thank you! 💜

Tagging @nightbloodbix @voidika @nightwingshero @shegetsburned @jinfromyarikawa @river-ward and whoever else wants a go at it!!

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads / storygraph

The Vanished Birds

character focused space opera with lyrical prose

follows a ship captain, and a mysterious young boy she becomes responsible for, after he appears on one of the many planets she transports produce from

the woman who facilitated humans’ leaving earth is convinced the boy has some unique power, and pays her & her crew to keep watch over him for 15 years, but there are greater powers in search of him

focuses in and out of many side characters and their stories

[drawnaghht]

I would love to hear more about your Headcanons on Samurai Rabbit.

haha thank you for being curious! i have a few but they're a bit disorganized still - i write theory way more and like to note when stuff becomes headcanon... it's very messy on paper haha xD

so here's a few random ones!

i headcanon tetsujin and fuwa as toxic gay exes (they didn't know the other was gay and pretending...)

Kitsune! I have a whole unsaved page of headcanons for her but my main one is that Kitsune was also an orphan from early on - why she wanted to come along with Chizu to rescue the orphans (but she would have come along anyway, even she herself hadn't been one) but then, something happens to her orphanage and they all have to stay on the streets, with no room in other orphanages

why Gen comes back to the hospital that reminds him of how their family fell apart - it has his brightest memories with his mom, but also afterwards with the Shiba Inu doctors (this seems more like theory/canon than headcanon, but I'll count it as headcanon for now bc I wanna do a little story later that expands on this xD)

those pants that Usagi wears over his regular pants are chaps, for farmwork (i'm still researching this so maybe this isn't headcanon territory lol, but this makes most sense to me)

So my personal headcanon after finishing s2, was that Kaiyo (Chizu's childhood friend), wasn't actually killed off and survived somehow. She returned to the Neko Ninja dojo some time later undercover, maybe even after more extensive training under a different Neko Ninja branch.... all to keep an eye on her friend Chizu because she still cared for her. I had a whole running theory during s2 that maybe her friend Kaiyo would return in some form and one day I wanna write a longer analysis of these theories I had at the start of last august haha xD

Chizu has a selection of favourite weapons to use, but was never allowed a bow and arrow because she was never put on sentry duty. Picking the bow and arrow at the Ki-Stone temple was her wish fulfilled. She's actually rather good at it, but my headcanon guess here is that besides other things she did to antagonize, Lady Fuwa liked to limit her ninja in somewhat bullying ways :'''D

[normal-about-charcters]

Double Denji?????!!??!!?!??!?!?!

FAKESAW MAN?!?!?!?!?!?!

If that is Fakesaw and its somehow a real Denji then that could cause some serious problems, botb for Denji and public safety

[yaboirezzy]

Erma and The Yureimoto Siblings

They're literally just:

[umhuhwellthen]

Hello Samurai Rabbit: Usagi Chronicles Community

I went insane and decided to design the neko ninja crew, Hanna and the kids PLUS the four adult ninja

And I went even crazier by looking up kanji name meanings to make up names for them and cat breeds to base their designs

It's nearly 4 am

Anyway the model for the orange-brown kid with pinkred eyes is used twice, so i decided to interpret that as twins and so i bring to you a poll

They're based off the Abyssian Cat Breed

Shhh I know the canon image I'm using is from a scene where they reused the light orange and bluegreyed kid, but i didnt feel like finding the scene im thinking of

Anyway the reason for this is to help me pick names for the others, as they share kanji, like some names take a character from Chizu's name and others take a character from Hanna's and so helps narrow the list down. 25 names, some the same name with different kanji spelling and meanings.

[closet-is-tired]

Another csm Tuesday! Y'all know what that means...

Spoilers under the cut!

Continuing to pile onto my net total of these things

[ocdhuacheng]

wtf @ the new csm chapter