#asagiri why do you hate me??

[alxastrx]

When you're one of the most selfish mc who only saves people because it's part of a job you never wanted and did not get to chose or you would've died, who took your co-workers' morals and ideals because you didn't have any and desperately wanted to fit in somewhere, be it with the heroes or the villains, who's activelly haunted by one the most tragic past to have been created and suffer from a psychosis so bad (dare I say schizophrenia) that even your enemies acknowledged that you are mentally ill and objectively flawed in your judgement, never hesitated to try to kill anyone and has the most egoistic reason to be a good person but the fandom still thinks you're just a kind crybaby "I don't know what a gun is" homosexual twink.

[musicalmoritz]

Every time I see a Dazai hate post I have to take a deep breath and remind myself not to argue because I will inevitably just end up using a lot of flowery words to call op an idiot

[neo-shitty]

“this gifted intruder…manipulates gravity!” 🫦🫦🫦🫦🫦

[sorcerersandskillusers]

How do you think Atshi and Dazai's relationship compare to their relationship in beast, i feel like its a topic thats been left behind when talking abt beast

Ooo this is an interesting one.

The relationship between Dazai and Atsushi in BEAST is really interesting already, I love how Asagiri didn't just make it a carbon copy of Dazai and Akutagawa in the main timeline, instead its completely unique but equally fucked up. But comparing it to the main timeline I think it is the best example of just how far BEAST Dazai is willing to go in order to ensure Oda's happiness in that universe, even at the cost of tormenting someone main Dazai really cares about.

First lets look at Dazai and Atsushi's relationship in the main series.

Atsushi has absolute loyalty, love and respect for Dazai in the main series, Dazai was the first person who ever affirmed Atsushi's right to live and might be the first person to ever offer him kindness. Dazai also works as Atsushi's motivation to save Kyouka, he thinks of how Dazai chose to save him even though he would be a massive burden to the ADA, and this gives him the conviction to save Kyouka despite her past.

Dazai is the person who Atsushi always thinks of when he's in a terrible situation, he's who Atsushi wants to run too when he thinks he can't win a fight, in other words he makes Atsushi feel safe something he probably almost never felt in the orphanage where he was abused for anything he did.

(from 55 mintues)

These two pages capture this perfectly

And eventually Atsushi is able to replace visions of the orphanage director (who appeared when he was at his lowest and made him feel like he had no right to live) with Dazai giving him encouragement and the focus to keep going.

On Dazai's end:

I think Atsushi is probably the person who sees Dazai's true suffering better than anyone else alive in the series, even including characters like Chuuya and Ango. Atsushi (very similar to Oda) will often cut through Dazai's jokes and see through to what he is really thinking.

Atsushi is also one of very few characters to openly be kind to Dazai, off the top of my head it's only him and Oda who ever really say nice things about him to his face.

(notice both times Dazai is surprised by this)

Atsushi is even able to pick up a hint of Dazai's past when Dazai talks about mimic in 55 minutes.

So suffice to say, in the main series Dazai and Atsushi are extremely close, both being essentail to the others growth and a person throughout the series, I could probably go on for pages about this but for now let's talk about how BEAST twists this relationship into one of the darkest in the series.

BEAST Atsushi suffers more than almost anyone else thanks to Dazai's plan. Since he can't use Fukuzawa's ability to control Atsushi's ability, he makes Atsushi wear a spiked collar that stabs him in the neck while transformed and uses the pain of that to help Atsushi remain in control of the tiger.

Not to mention that BEAST Atsushi, just like regular Atsushi hates being hurt and hurting others, he is constantly terrified on every mission he is sent on and hates the pain he has to go through each time.

So why is he so loyal to Dazai? Unlike Akutagawa Dazai didn't physically abuse Atsushi until he became dogmatically loyal, he didn't need too, all he had to do was twist the suffering caused by the orphanage director in Atsushi's mind and make it work in his favour.

Trigger warning: Psychological abuse!

This was Dazai's method, give Atsushi an order he knew he would disobey and set things up so it would lead to Atsushi undergoing unimaginable pain and suffering beyond anything Dazai could inflict himself. Dazai twisted that pain in Atsushi's mind into

"This is what it feels like to disobey me"

And since then, Atsushi has been completely incapable of not following Dazai's orders.

Another important factor is that Dazai himself is very friendly with Atsushi, letting him call him "Dazai-san" instead of boss and giving him praise for his work. This just further cements in Atsushi's mind that Dazai is the kind, generous person who tried to help him, which makes him even more loyal to Dazai.

There's a lot more I could go over, but I don't have time right now. Overall I think BEAST really shows just how far Dazai is willing to go to achieve what he wants, the way he treats BEAST Atsushi is incredibly cruel, and then leaving him alone in a world where his only purpose was fulfilling Dazai's orders is another level of cruelty.

[soupthatistohot]

A rant about why BSD is hard to enjoy right now (in my opinion)

Originally posted this on twitter but I think tumblr folks will sympathize, as well. So, here goes!

The stakes are simultaneously so ridiculously high and also nonexistent. I can't shake the feeling that everything is going to return to normal after this arc is over (everyone we care about will be alive, the world will have been saved), so why should I care about anything that's happening?

To that point -- no one (I care about) stays dead!! So what if Kunikida "died" in the chapter today? I'm sure he'll be back. Dazai also didn't die in Meursault, neither did Fyodor (who actually literally CAN'T die!!). Akutagawa is now alive and well, too! As much as I hate excessive MCD (like in JJK), you need to actually kill off characters sometimes if you're gonna threaten it so often, because then every death lacks emotional impact. I've been, like, numbed to it atp.

There are so many characters I do not know enough about to care about. Who even are the hunting dogs? Bram? Sigma? Asagiri hasn't put as much time and care into characterizing them as the main cast, so when things happen to them I kinda don't give a shit long-term. They were introduced in the middle of a convoluted plot that has taken such precedence over the characters who are supposed to be driving the story.

BSD originated as a character-driven story, and that's what drew myself and so many others to it in the first place. It was bizarre in a charming sort of way. It was about the characters growing and developing as people as much/more as it was about the external conflicts going on. It almost feels like Asagiri has been trying to be too clever about this that he's lost the core of BSD: it's heart.

Similarly, there's a reason this is such a ship-heavy fandom, we live for the character dynamics! But our beloveds have been scattered to the winds for literal years in our time that we've lost most of that interaction we love so much. Give us back our found family dynamics!!

Kind of back to the point about the convoluted plot -- it eels like the characters' intelligence has outgrown us and Asagiri, to the point of seeming impossibly ridiculous. Like what do you mean Chuuya was faking it the whole time and then stopped a bullet from entering dazai's skull and got away from it because of the security camera angle?? what do you mean Fyodor dying by a vampire's hand actually means that he subsumes bram and then he sets off a tripolar singularity to create god and this was his plan all along????

Obviously I don't speak for the whole fandom and these are just my opinions. I'm not saying you have to agree with me or even that BSD is horrible. I just feel like it's kinda lost its way the past few years and I miss the animanga I fell in love with :(

[snows-2am-thoughts]

PM and ADA deal Theory

Hey guys, friendly reminder that Mori is likely still gonna ask for someone from the ADA to join the PM. It honestly hurts my soul to think that the ADA will lose someone this soon after all the shit in this arc went down but Mori isn’t one to care about that kind of stuff. 

SEASON FIVE SPOILERS

This is about 1.7k words so be warned

I know a lot of people are sold on the theory that it’ll probably be Tanizaki since Asagiri is big on foreshadowing and Tanizaki does have a homicidal side but I don’t think he’d let himself be put in a position to where his sister might be in danger or get a target on her back. He’d probably run away or kill the people in question before that happened. Not to mention since his run in with Akutagawa and the black lizard that he sort of hates most if not all of the mafia members. He was so ready to go to war with the PM to defend the agency and someone like this would be super hard to control, deal with the ADA or not.

Mori isn’t stupid, in fact he’s very calculating and very cunning and who are his biggest obsessions? He’s always so focused on Dazai and Yosano but both of these are off limits in his eyes. Yosano is off limits because of the terms of the deal with Fukuzawa and Dazai is off because Mori wants him to come back on his own. Now we have Kyouka, Atsushi, Kenji, Ranpo  and Kunikida left to choose from. 

Kunikida is off the table I think because he’s a child bombing away from just completely breaking. There is a part of me that believes Mori could pick Kunikida solely to break him and watch Fukuzawa and Dazai suffer but Mori is also the type of boss that doesn’t want to waste powerful allies if he doesn’t need to. I mean, he’s literally letting Tachihara choose his loyalties, he’ll probably still get punished severely but Mori isn’t one to just waste men unless it’s for good reason or worth the risks. Also Kunikida is Fukuzawa’s successor and something tells me that Mori doesn’t wanna deal with the strict moral types. 

Ranpo is definitely off the table. Fukuzawa would go batshit if Mori picked him. He just lost his childhood best friend. Do you think he’s gonna let Mori take his son next? No he will not. Also Ranpo would blatantly refuse to work with him. He’s smart enough to survive but Ranpo is disinterested in most things and Fukuzawa is really the only one who can make him do something. I don’t think Mori would want to deal with that either. 

Now we have Atsushi, Kenji and Kyouka. Mori usually chooses children to take under his wing because they’re easy to manipulate and easy to mold into his ideal subordinates. However Kyouka was already in the mafia once and Kouyou even used up her slight favor with Mori to let her leave the mafia with no consequences. I don’t think he’d want to deal with the hassle of internal conflict since Kouyou would be pissed if he took Kyouka away from the light that she enjoys so much. However much Kouyou wants to deny that she can’t help Kyouka anymore, she’s only human and she’s very much attached to the Kyouka who shares a similar past and ability. 

Kenji’s situation is kind of hard to determine. As stated, Mori does prefer to mold and manipulate children rather than adults but Kenji is kind of an oddity among humans. Not because of his ability but because of his personality. He’s very much a “you fuck around and find out” type of guy is willing to believe the best in people despite what they may do or have done. I don’t see many reasons why Mori wouldn’t choose him other than there are better options than Kenji. Sure Kenji is super powerful with a very useful gift but there are other members that would fit his goals better. 

Now Atsushi, he’s the biggest contender for the mafia recruit in my mind for a few reasons. Now we saw in the series that there were gonna be three main villains (The Guild, the Decay of Angels and the Order of the Clock Tower) and now we have finished out with two of them. This means that we’re possibly getting into the last major arc or two of the main plot of the story and there are still so many unanswered questions about Atsushi. 

Atsushi was deemed the envy of all ability users by Fyodor which was why Shibusawa originally held an interest in him. My question is why Fyodor was interested enough in Atsushi to know of him and what is their connection that Fyodor was even able to know of him. Fyodor is a genius but the orphanage headmaster said that he was a randomly dumped toddler and he lived most of his life in a cage in the orphanage. This in itself is fishy but I’ll get to that in a second. Moreover, Atsushi’s ability seems like it just resists almost all other abilities with the ability to cut through space itself and high regeneration abilities that causes most wounds to go away instantly when he’s in his full tiger form, most other abilities don’t affect him when he’s fully a tiger. 

Who is called the most powerful ability user? Natsume is, and he is able to turn into a cat. Seeing the pattern here? When did the headmaster die? When he was trying to find Atsushi and talk to him again. It’s very suspicious timing and I wholeheartedly believe that he was silenced by someone who didn’t want Atsushi knowing something important about himself. And then we have the seven billion bounty that was put on his head because of his ability. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that Fitzgerald, who wanted to find The Book, wanted the tiger so badly that he was willing to spend that much. 

Asagiri is a beast at foreshadowing and he doesn’t do anything for kicks, all of his moves are deliberate. There is something about Atsushi that we’re missing and I’m willing to bet that Mori, who was going to accept the bounty, wants to know what it is as much as we do. Atsushi’s strange ability, the holes in his past from before the orphanage, Fyodor and Shibusawa’s interest in him, his correlation to Natsume, his probable connections to locating the book and the fact that Dazai was coincidentally there to save him when he came to Yokohama? Yeah, there’s definitely something up with Atsushi and the poor kid doesn’t even realize it. 

So yes, I do think that Mori either a) wants to figure out Atsushi’s situation in relation to everything or b) he knows something and wants to exploit it out of him. My second point is that Mori wants to break Dazai down and build him up as the perfect PM boss. Mori is someone who manipulates and breaks from the sidelines then watches conflict and in the aftermath, glues the pieces of what once was back together in a collage of his own liking. He knows he can’t beat Dazai but he can make him suffer. Who is Dazai the closest to at the agency? Atsushi. 

Dazai always says, “Atsushi and the others” while making sure Atsushi makes it out alive in any situation that he is in. Dazai has a big soft spot for Atsushi, the kid he took in as a mentor and the kid who wholeheartedly believes without any hesitation that he is a good person. He brought his own chair and made a home in Dazai’s heart without his permission. Atsushi knows he was in the PM, knows he’s the reason for a lot of Akutagwa’s issues, knows about some of the atrocities he’s committed but still smiles genuinely at him. Of course he doesn’t know everything but Atsushi is probably Dazai’s biggest apologist (It’s not Akutagawa but that's for a different post). Atsushi is the personification of Oda’s last wish to Dazai and Mori definitely knows that he can hurt Dazai by hurting his beloved mentee.

Mori is also very aware of the new generation of soukoku. If he’s able to wrangle and manage Akutagawa (he’s alive shut up) a little more because Atsushi is his partner then all the more reason to choose him. Atsushi covers all the bases, a mysterious power that could make his organization that much more untouchable, mess with Dazai, mess with the agency and manage his own employees better. It doesn’t help that Atsushi’s mental state isn’t the best. He’s not a kid but he’s traumatized and doesn’t have the same development other 18 year olds do, and that can be just as easily to manipulate as a child. It would be difficult because Atsushi genuinely believes in Dazai with everything he is but every person is able to break and Mori is especially good at that. 

I know that Fukuzawa’s ability is the reason we don’t see any more late night weretiger situations but Atsushi has so much more control now than when he did at the beginning of the series. It’s also very much possible that Mori is looking for a degree of uncontrollable tiger to help him with his goals. It’s also been confirmed that pain can manage his transformations as seen with his collar in BSD BEAST. 

It also doesn’t help that Asagiri tends to go through the trauma route to have his characters develop and experiencing the “darkside” of Yokohama just may be what he thinks Atsushi needs to develop more. 

So yeah, I think Mori may choose Atsushi as the new PM member but don’t quote me on this if I’m wrong, it’ll be embarrassing. They also may just throw this plotline out the window since both sides suffered this past arc, they may find it illogical to go through with the deal when the truce between the PM and ADA is still sensitive but I doubt it. Mori isn’t one to care for those things. 

[welivetodream]

*Someone on reddit*: Skk is toxic and I don't understand why people ship them. IT'S OVERRATED and doesn't make sense

*Me*: here we go again 🍷 I was waiting for this post all week

Dear people, let's enjoy FICTIONAL things without criticising others for enjoying things you don't like or understand, it is NOT that serious 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Seriously, talk about things that you DO enjoy, that's more important. We do not want to constantly hear people bitch about things we like again and again with the same fucking arguments.

I have a feeling people won't shit about Skk so much if they weren't two guys----just sayin' 🤷🏻‍♀️ (infact Asagiri would have made it canon himself, like he was planning to with sskk)

Can we just stop hating on things? I am tired of the same discussions.

[asagirisfavoritepen]

So, I have another theory.

What's Asagiri's name? Kafka. Who else is Kafka? Franz Kafka. And who's this Franz? A writer. He's mostly known for the book "The Metamorphosis". Metamorphosis means change, right? And what can THE BOOK do? Change the reality.

So, in the Metamorphosis is told the story if a young man who suddenly transformed into a bug. His family tries to help him come back to normal and even give him food he would like in the new body, like rotten cheese. But after around a year the bug/guy overheard a conversation between his parents and sister. They all said they hated him and that they didn't need him anymore, so the guy/bug died from depression in a day. (This is a very short summary, I skipped over a lot of details)

The idea of the story is that one's change will change the whole world. And that's exactly what the book does. Changes the world.

So, according to my theory, the book is the ability Metamorphosis.

Now, about the author/character. He meets the criteria to be a BSD character. Dead, depressed, daddy issues (this is only half joke), religion trauma (kinda) and so on. He was a fan of Dostoievsky's and Gogol's work. So he could easily be a BSD character.

But this book doesn't exactly seem the kind of ability the good guys have, does it? So I think Kafka is a villain. If you may, the last antagonist they will fight. So I made some research to find ties between him and Atsushi Nakajima, because as mentioned in the Guild arc, Atsushi is the only one who could find the book. Turns out that Nakajima was a fan of Kafka and translated his works in Japanese. And not only that. The story Atsushi's ability is based on is about a guy who transformed into a tiger because he's very frustrated because of his poems that don't seem to work. I haven't read this one, but from what I've seen online it's very similar to the Metamorphosis. And this is why he'll be the only one able to find the book.

As we all noticed, usually the relationship between two characters is the opposite of the author's relationship (e.g: irl Ranpo was a huge fan of irl Poe, BSD Poe is a huge fan of BSD Ranpo, irl Yosano loved irl Mori, BSD Yosano hates BSD Mori). So, based on this, I would say that Kafka will most definitely be a villain.

The thing is, why would Asagiri choose to have the pen name of the ultimate villain?

Because the BSD story is supposed to be a world made by the book and Franz Kafka is Asagiri Kafka.

In conclusion: Franz/Asagiri Kafka will be the last antagonist of the series. His ability, the book, is Metamorphosis. And I'm delusional.

This could be wrong. After all, it's a theory. But let me know what you think, because I'm really curious.

[tulipe-rose]

Tiny theory that has so many plot holes and possibly makes no sense cuz I'm bored:

We all know the theory of Elise getting her personality from Yosano, and her hair type from Dazai, right? No? Well now you do, so I wanted to add a little part of my own onto it.

Elise is designed to look like a western looking girl, right? Well, I have a feeling that it has something to do with Higuchi, or maybe Higuchi's mother.

My theory is: Mōri knew Higuchi's mother–who could've been potentially a foreigner–on a personal level, might have even loved her, but she was forced into marriage with the some rich man. There was no helping it, so he let her go with grace.

Higuchi's mom dies during child birth (she was giving birth to Higuchi's sister, not Higuchi herself), and her Dad gets assassinated way later, like by the time Higuchi is 12 or even a bit older. That should be concurrent with Mōri's rise to the boss position, when his position is slightly more stable. The guy was a neglectful alcoholic, and was only going to lead the family to ruin. The kids that looked so painfully similar to their mother were suffering, so Mōri wasn't above, or more accurately couldn't help but leave him to rot. He becomes Higuchi's, and her sister's benefactor, gives them a new surname to keep the assassins off their back, and visits sometimes with gifts and makes sure they have all the basic necessities that a kid should have, he even lets them go to school.

He keeps both of them away from the underworld for as long as he could in tribute to their late mother. He was heavily against having Higuchi recruited into the Mafia, but she was so heavily insisting on joining for a reason he cannot stop after she found out he was the boss (read: Akutagawa).

He decided to make her hate the Mafia, to convince her to leave, even if it meant being hard on her. He was possibly trying to convince her, and those around her, that as long as she was a Mafioso, she'd be a target for assassination in an indirect, kind of “I never said that, they just jumped to that conclusion.” way. He was being the bad guy to make sure she was out of the Mafia. He was kind of indirectly convincing her into believing she wasn't suitable, or even useful for and to the Mafia.

I'm pretty sure Asagiri was still figuring out Mōri's character, but something that stuck with me is that Mōri might have a personal grudge against Akutagawa; he might've figured out that he was the reason Higuchi stayed in the Mafia, so he assumed that if Akutagawa was out of the picture in a way Higuchi could never save him, she'll have nothing left in the Mafia, and would decide to leave soon. This could be a secondary explanation, aside from the one we got in the manga, as to why he gave Akutagawa up so easily despite his worth to the Mafia, even going as far as to call him a 'liability'. However, Mōri didn't put Higuchi's determination into account, and Akutagawa ended up surviving.

The 'Mōri dislikes Akutagawa' theory could be debunked if someone brings up the drama CD, but like, pookie. Higuchi was going to take him to take care of his health somewhere either way, so I bet Mōri sent Chūya along with them to make sure that Higuchi doesn't have to be the one to bathe Akutagawa (inner protective father instincts are seeing the light of day, oh crap.). Also I guess Mōri eventually decided to leave Akutagawa to live out the rest of his days for Higuchi's sake, he was going to die anyway, and his reckless streak could serve to quicken that.

I feel like Mōri's treatment towards Higuchi in the manga definitely mellowed out later as Asagiri started to figure Mōri out better, and you can even see Higuchi being one of the first to come to his aid in the cannibalism arc. He would only call someone he trusted enough to see him in such a vulnerable position.

Along with that, just look at how freaking worried she is for him, if my insensible theory has any credibility, she knew this guy as the first decent father figure in her life, she definitely has feelings of attachment towards Mōri.

In wan, their shenanigans are so family coded. In her Mayoi beach card, Mori and Elise were standing behind her (they look like when your extended family turns up for events instead of your actual parents) while she was playing beach volleyball; with the way he looked all he had left was to wear "I'm not a stepdad, I'm the DAD THAT STEPPED UP" shirt istg. Chūya is there to make sure everyone retains their skin's health (except him). He looks happy though so it's alright, a tan would look good on him. Come to think of it, I feel like Chūya is always around whenever Higuchi is there, especially in wan... Could it be that Mōri instructed him to keep a closer eye on Higuchi...? To ensure her safety like some sort of bodyguard (when ironically she is the one who is supposed to be Akutagawa's bodyguard)...? Yk what I should probably stop before I come up with more conspiracy theories. At this rate I will be arrested for brain rotting too hard.

Bonus: Elise drew this, and Higuchi looks the prettiest out of them all, and the only one actually smiling, which could reflect just how much Mōri cares about her deep down. If this theory has any flicker of credibility, then beast would be a wormwhole to try and explore DJDJJDJ.

[whathorselegs]

An unnecessarily long ramble about Shirase's role in Storm Bringer - Part 1

Storm Bringer's Themes and Shirase

At it's core, Storm Bringer is about the many ways someone can be dehumanized and also the many ways a person can exhibit humanity without necessarily being 'human'. Nearly every major character within this book showcases these themes from Chuuya to Adam, to Verlaine, to Dazai.

And yes, even Shirase, however I think the way these themes affect Shirase's character is overlooked a bit, because compared to everyone else, he's ordinary and often times being annoying. The dehumanization he experiences isn't some Big Bad, but that doesn't mean it's not there. The way he regains his humanity is with an internal struggle. It's not as exciting as everything else, so it's no wonder it doesn't get talked about as much.

However, I'm obsessed with it, so I'm going to talk about.

The Dehumanization of Shirase

'The young man would then rivet, wipe, and remove its burrs. Then another part would come his way. Rivet, wipe, file. Rivet, wipe, file. Rivet, wipe, file. Rivet, wipe, file. He would do that as many times as it took until he eventually thought, I've had enough of this. After finishing the next metal part, he was going to quit and go home. He had that same thought every single time he worked until the bell eventually rang, letting all the workers know that their shift was going to end in five minutes. Only during those five minutes did the young man feel some what human.'

This is how we are introduced to Shirase and for me it's one of the grimmest passages in the book. There are certainly events that are more horrifying, but this is grim in such a mundane way, and its because this is how a lot of people spend their lives. This is the type of dehumanization real people can easily relate to.

Working day after day, hour after hour as a cog in a machine, loosing everything you are to your job that you hate until the end of the day where you can regain your sense of self.

Asagiri will often not use a character's name at the start of chapter to create some mystery as to who they are, specifically he does this a lot for Dazai. However it's still interesting me that in this whole passage, it's not until the last paragraph that Shirase is named. By Chuuya. Until then, he's nobody, just a faceless worker, only becoming a person once he's relevant to the plot.

In this passage it's also noted that some of the other workers try to invite Shirase to eat together, but Shirase declines. They are all older than him, it doesn't mention any names and there's no indication that Shirase considers them his friends. Why would he? This is a place were he doesn't even feel like himself, how could he possibly form friendships?

The most interesting way, to me, that Shirase is dehumanized throughout Storm Bringer is the way several characters treat Shirase as insignificant or as someone to be used/disposed of, despite those characters being ones who we root for.

The Port Mafia treats him as a hostage, all his friends had been shipped away to different parts of Japan. He has no support network anymore, he's alone. He lives with the knowledge at any moment the Port Mafia could decide to kill him.

Murase, despite caring for Chuuya and 'wanting to show him the light' does not extend that same kindness to Shirase. He uses Shirase as a means to get Chuuya to come to the police station. Murase even bullies Shirase whilst arresting him.

'Nobody cares about small fries like you, so you've got nothing to worry about.'

It's an off-handed comment and probably to be funny and out of the context of the dehumanization theme it is. But everyone in this story is telling Shirase the exact same thing. He's worthless. Shirase isn't worth Murase's time, he isn't worth saving. Whilst Murase talks to Chuuya about living in the light, he has Shirase locked away in a dark cell left to rot. Because Shirase isn't important.

Murase sets it up so Shirase's freedom is dependant on Chuuya's choice. If Chuuya agrees to be an informant, Shirase will be let go. He doesn't give Shirase the chance to fight for his own freedom because he has nothing Murase wants.

It might be annoying the amount of times Shirase claims he's 'the king' but when everyone else treats him like nothing, it's not surprising to me that he's so desperate to be recognized.

Adam, is perhaps the worst offender of this. He does not like Shirase and whilst I'm not saying he has to, he is also our main narrator through out the book. He interacts with Shirase the most. He also thinks Shirase lacks intelligence and is an annoyance. Despite being programmed to save humans, he treats protecting Shirase as a chore, even though, Shirase is the exact type of person he was meant to protect. An ordinary one.

When Verlaine attacks Shirase in the cells, Adam gives up and accepts Shirase's fate despite saying several times how terrified he is.

'Shirase's voice trembled with fear.' 'Shirase's voice quavered like never before. It took everything he had to simply stand on his own two feet.' 'He was too astonished and afraid to even to even yell out.' 'The worst thing that could happen right now would be losing Master Chuuya or me and being unable to follow with our plan to ambush Verlaine. He had two more targets remaining. There was still hope.'

He's as good as sentencing Shirase to death here because his life isn't as important as Chuuya's or his own. Shirase is disposable. Adam says as much when trying to convince Shirase to come with them. It's made all the more heartbreaking when Shirase is looking to Adam for help but Adam has ready decided he can't do anything.

He says that there was no chance of success at saving Shirase but as soon as Chuuya is in danger, Adam is able to break free from the wall he's trapped in. The possible outcomes don't matter anymore, Chuuya is in danger and he has to try and save him. Something he wasn't willing to do for Shirase.

After Shirase falls unconscious from being poisoned Adam leaves him locked in a storeroom and says he should be safe there. Despite the alarm system broadcasting that everything within the building is going to burned and everyone needs to evacuate. Implying anyone left behind will also burn. When Shirase wakes up alone, thinking he's been abandoned, he easily gets out of the storeroom, meaning anyone could have just as easily got in and killed him.

'The poison was probably meant for Master Chuuya while Shirase was merely collateral damage.'

This what Adam says about Shirase being poisoned and I can't tell if it's supposed to Adam saying how the military sees Shirase or how Adam feels about him. Because it's exactly how he treats him.

The dehumanizing way Adam treats Shirase affects how the reader views him too. Readers are already inclined to dislike Shirase after the events in Fifteen, now in Storm Bringer we spend most of our time with a narrator that also doesn't like Shirase. So when Adam exhibits a lack of care towards Shirase, calls him dumb, annoying and dismisses him, the reader is easily led into doing the same.

And it's sad because Shirase is genuinely scared and struggling throughout the story. But we almost only ever see this during the few parts that are narrated from Shirase's perspective.

Which I will talk more about in Part 2 when I discuss Shirase's overall arc and the ways in which he regains his 'humanity'.

If you read all of this, then thank you :D I hope you enjoyed

Disclaimer: This is not hate on Adam's character, I love him, however this post is about Shirase not him.

[still-fatemeh]

♤Wolf in sheep's clothing♤

Fyodor Dostoevsky X reader

[The reader is named Anna. As in Anna dostoevskaya, the writer's second wife. But, doesn't necessarily nod back to the real life person, just like how asagiri went with Nobuko Sasaki for the antagonist in dazai's entrance exam novel. I just pick a name because I hate using Y/N, that's all. Also, this goes back in time (fyodor's old as fuck) about the age where he met bram. My English is limited, there may be grammar mistakes. Enjoy 💜 it's hella toxic]

The reflection of flames in the violet eyes of the man, was a subdued version of what the fire truly was. It was a fire as destructive and scorching as a volcano, devouring anything that came in contact with it and giving back ashes. The aftermath was going to be a hassle, something similar to incendium magnum Romae.

She watched the hazardous catastrophe in the form of a fire from above, watching the people and their blood-curdling screams, all terrified, who'd sacrificed all they had for the fire to consume and grow bigger, burning even further. Her expression was tight, unimpressed even.

Clutching the pendant of her pearl necklace in her palm, her eyes stared straight ahead, no uncertainty or fear could be seen in them. It was rather difficult to guess where her train of thought was heading. But to fyodor it wasn't at all hard to guess, he'd come to know her mind well and, also the fact that he was the root of all this chaos.

"Are you enjoying this?" Anna asked him with a hint of disdain in her tone, her eyes still fixed on the fire.

"They aren't suffering for my pleasure, sweetheart. It just happened to be what they had, had to be sacrificed for the cause. For a beautiful world, free of sin." He said simply with a graceful smile as his gaze shifted to look at her instead of the burning city, it was true that a step closer to fulfilling his goal was a beautiful event, but she... She was far more beautiful.

Before she could voice her thoughts regarding his cryptic answer, he spoke again. Partly to kill her train of thought, to prevent her from berating him for being so guiltless and hypocritical. She wasn't going to stay that way for too long though. "Why, are you mad?"

She shook her head in a manner that indicated a negative answer. "No, I have no reason to be mad at you."

"Why?" Fyodor asked, curious.

"Because I'm no eye of God to judge people for their deeds, not the immorality that I, myself assisted in creating. I'm no hand of God to deliver his justice."

Fyodor mused.

"Why? Don't you think of yourself as worthy?"

"It's not a matter of worth, it's a matter of place. And it's no one's place to claim the position of the almighty."

His smile broadened, her words, strangely enough, seemed to amuse him to no end.

"Do you think of me as some lunatic trying to play God?"

He asked once again, his eyes deceptively soft as he awaited her answer.

Her eyes were still on the fire with the same pointed gaze as before but now, they had a glimmer of resignation in them.

"No, I don't think of you as such."

"Why?"

And there came another demand from him; for her to reason, but she was afraid this was a question she didn't have an answer to, her Achilles heel.

Her eyes trailed from the fire to the railing of the balcony, the hint of sharpness in them giving it's place to melancholy.

"Is it because you love me?"

That rolled off his tongue oh-so-easily.

"It's too soon for me to be deciding that." It came off as uncertain, abashed even.

"Worry not, dearest. You have all the time in the world to consider it." He said with a reverent smile.

.

.

.

After a moment of perfect stillness, Anna spoke again.

"My father admired you and everything you stood for, that's the reason I don't think of you as evil."

"And yet his corpse is burning in the same fire that I made. He lost everything trusting one man."

He stated the obvious and her eyes clouded over with unimaginable grief.

"Are you... calling him... foolish?"

She could barely force herself to say the words. And more than the painful question, she dreaded his answer, she feared it.

"Yes."

Fyodor said firmly. Anna's head snapped in his direction with a stunned expression.

"His trust was valuable and his belief was that of a correct nature. And he gave it away to make himself a martyr for the cause. He was foolish for giving away his trust so freely but not for believing that good exists within everyone, that God made us in his own image, perfection. People take refuge in God because they're afraid of the burning fires of hell, the firewood comes from their own crimes, as punishment. The lava that eats up their ashes stems from the volcano of their own wrongdoings. They fancy they serve the cause of religion, because the devils show them their horns from the other world. But your father was rather exceptional..." He was having fun with words and she was listening like she's never been before. As if he was giving her the sweetest promises... Anna was all ears and trembling, as if listening to a pastor preaching about doom's day.

His air of intentness faded as he spared her half-questioning face a glance and gave her a subtle smile. "And he brought up an amazing woman, to continue his legacy. That's not an easy task by any means."

She gulped, shame flooding her expression.

"You... don't have to rub salt on the wound, you don't have to keep reminding me of my betrayal and ungratefulness. I'll stand by my promise, you don't need to take any extra measures to ensure that..."

Fyodor's lips twitched into a thin smile.

"So... you know yourself worthy of telling me what to do, what measures to take, what measures not to take, what to decide..."

Fyodor's tone had a lilt of amusement to it at seeing her mortified expression, she anticipated exactly what was about to come. Smart woman.

"But you don't consider yourself worthy of playing God?"

His voice suddenly became dangerously low. His hand raised her chin to look her in the eyes. Anna held his gaze really well, she was courageous enough to ignore the screams of every fiber of her being begging her to run. To get away from this man. It was also a display of pride, to show him a hint of the noble blood that coursed through her veins. She was raised for greatness, after all.

But all fyodor saw was a sparrow trapped in a predator's grip, unable to flee, her fate as clear as day, her fate as dark as the abyss.

His hand wandered higher, forcefully cupping her cheeks. reddened due to the heat that the huge fire exuded. Her face remained stoic but her eyes were extremely expressive, they gave her away. He could see the fear, the agony, the feeling of worthlessness, determination, devotion, guilt, grief, everything. And above all, despite her unawareness, those doey eyes spoke of innocence. God, her eyes glistening was such a sight. It was as if she was sculpted by the greatest of the great artists, so talented that they could bring the epidemy of perfection and grace to life. And he couldn't wait to take that all for himself.

"You betrayed the man that put his all into raising you... You threw him away for the evil incarnate that I am... Don't you dare think of me as hypocritical when this is what you are... How am I supposed to know you won't betray me for the next man that comes your way? You set yourself up for failure, sweetheart..."

She was frozen, afraid but also... she was still standing. Shivering, but still on her own two feet.

"You bit the hand that fed you,"

His hand wondered lower this time, letting go of his grip on her jaw and grasping the necklace around her neck.

"Now you're going to be licking the boot that kicks you."

He pulled the necklace forward so hard that the thread holding it together snapped and it fell apart. All she could hear was the sound of pearls hitting the ground.

She had nothing to fear anymore. She no longer had anything that she dreaded losing. She was a traitor, a betrayer of her father's trust and she deserved to burn for it...

"Don't be afraid, dearest. I'll rewrite your fate for you. I'm not ever going to let you betray me. You don't even think of such thing, right? Because that'll make you even more worthless. The most worthless harlot that has ever set foot on this earth. But, I'm a generous man. I'm willing to forget the past if you're willing to leave it behind..."

All she could hear was the agonising cries of a mother who was carrying the burned corpse of her child...

She was paying for her crimes but what crime did the poor child have to pay for?

[gildeddlily]

yk what I really hate? people defining soukoku's relationship as toxic and headcanon chuuya as a violent person who physically assaults and abuses Dazai cause he "makes him mad", or Dazai as the one who constantly manipulates him into doing what he needs.

like who ever told you this? first of all, no. second of all, no. They have the strangest relationship I've ever seen, but it's something beautiful built with trust from both parts so how can you call that toxic to this point?

we've never saw Chuuya physically hurting Dazai in both manga and light novels, at least not seriously (the basement scene doesn't mean anything, they didn't see each other for like four years and chuuya's a fricking mafia executive no shit he's gonna beat up the mafia traitor. but seriously, after seeing him fight for real you think that was violence?). Do I think that at least once Dazai got beat up? yes, cause Dazai is constantly getting on Chuuya's nerves. the nerves of a dysfunctional teenager, that works for the mafia, that has a partner who tries to kill himself every two days, that is emotionally constipated and never learned how to love and be loved (the sheep betrayed him, the Flags died, Dazai is Dazai) so yeah, I don't think he knows how to express his feelings (he was all "I'm gonna act like I don't love you but in reality I love you a lot" with the flags at sixteen, what do you pretend from him if he's interacting with Dazai?) but not to the point of beating up Dazai every time they fight.

Dazai is ever worse: he's traumatized as fuck too, and is always going with the "I'm not human" bullshit (shut up sometimes he's so human he makes me cry) that most times prevents him from enjoying practically anything. Chuuya is not someone he know how to act with, but he spends three years with him so he fricking learned how, alr? They know eachother better than everyone, to the point that Chuu is able to understand Dazai's "misterious as fuck no one can understand me why people call akutagawa emo when im here" plans and attitude. They trust each other to the point of constantly putting each other lives in the other's hands.

Dazai manipulates everyone, yeah, but not like Fyodor does. Stop treating his efforts to respect Oda's last wish like nothing and only seeing him as the man he was in the mafia. Bungou Stray Dogs is so beautiful because it's realistic in portraying human's life and emotions, so stop trying to make Dazai act and seen as the mean demon who hates everyone except odasaku. his "chess pieces" are used and directed in a gentle way, just see Atsushi and the relationship he has with him, or the ADA. (the drowning thing. there was world's peace at steak, you think he should have chose saving Chuuya instead of everyone else? And that he really didn't think ab Chuuya saving Fyodor with his ability? I'm sure he knew, purely for the "what a shallow bond" thing. Asagiri spent the last years making us understand the deep bond they share, only to make it really shallow after one hundred chapters?)

Chuuya knows Dazai, he knows the way he choose to act, how his mind works and how he plans the future, Asagiri said that himself, so it actually is canon. He truly knows him (best and worst part of him, and we're talking ab mafia!dazai) and still trusts him with his life, knows Dazai always hides something up his sleeve and's always "i trusted you with this *random insults*" after almost dying for Dazai.

They just voluntarily ignore their connection, but they're both aware of it, just see how Chuuya in Dead Apple is sure that Dazai has something in mind that involves him using Corruption (risking his life) and punching him in the face, or how Dazai is sure that Chuuya will use Corruption risking his life and punch him. (the soft way he punched him while using Corruption really is... strange. he was throwing buildings around and then punch Dazai like he wasn't even using his ability? there wasn't any real strength behind it, at least not the corrupted one. so yeah we also have corrupted!Chuuya loving Dazai like the normal one) (I'm chewing a gum (my throat is hurting sthu) and I feel like the woman from that asmr meme that types on a pc) so yeah the point is. people can write or create media ab everything they want, but going around talking ab how they'd be a toxic couple cause they're abusive and bad for eachother is bullshit, especially if they're talking ab 22!Soukoku that has the potential to be endgame. teen!Soukoku could be toxic, yes, cause it's always disfuncional teenagers we're talking ab, they wouldn't even know ab how to be a good couple, but they'd manage, and still do more good for each other than bad. (this is all to say that I cry when while searching for good skk ff I find that type of ff that antagonize one of them by portraying them as abusive (like taking out of the context Chuuya calling sixteen Dazai inhuman after he said that the death of a man that Chuuya respected was a luck for them- no shit he was angry(still could have not said that)) and the other as an innocent kid that doesn't know better)

we stan the "the other was the only really good thing in their life for a long time" trope

[anti-dazai-blog]

my actual opinions on today’s episode (under the cut because spoilers)

As I said in my last post, I actually really liked Fukuchi’s development in this episode, and I think this was a really satisfying way to conclude his story.

everything else though? Tbh I’m not the biggest fan. I’m gonna hope that all of the things that are out of character for BSD as a story to do are anime only, and the manga will have a better resolution to this arc.

Fyodor dies without any ability reveal— what does that mean for the series? If Asagiri’s on board with this, does this mean that his ability will be revealed and explained after his death, or is this a way to get out of revealing and explaining his ability at all?

Fyodor alludes to a different opponent he fought who was nearly a match for him. Is this a way to shoehorn in another person for Dazai to have his quasi-super genius quarrels with? Is this a way of saying “Fyodor may be gone, but Dazai still has someone out there he can play the numbers guessing game with”?

The episode pulled one of those “Dazai knew everything all along” moves, which really makes the entire Meursault subplot meaningless. There was no conflict. There was no back and forth strategizing. Dazai knew everything from the start and everything went exactly according to his plan. Dazai’s injuries also don’t matter, since he’s up and about immediately after sustaining them.

What was the point of Dazai choosing Sigma. Was there a point? He left him behind at the end. Sigma didn’t do much of anything to help him or harm Fyodor (nothing that affects the plot at least).

Dazai being all-knowing also adds to his accountability in everything. Which I mention fairly often, but I hate that this final episode is proving me right. There’s this issue now of at what point did he contact Chuuya and arrange this plan. If it would be too far in advance, you’d have the question of how and why he’d know about vampires and that Fyodor and the decay of angels is planning on using them. You have the question of why he wouldn’t warn Ango, the one person he’s contacting who’s conveniently in the Actual Japanese Government, about a potential World War 3.

If Chuuya wasn’t a vampire this whole time, that means he brutalized all of the Meursault guards on purpose. It also doesn’t explain the panel where he’s struggling and breathing heavily, dragging two dismembered corpses of guards. What does that panel mean in the context of Chuuya be conscious? The struggling could be an act, but what was Chuuya’s conscious reason for picking up two corpses he brutalized and dragging them around with him?

And that epilogue. It looks like a cliche shonen boss fight. There better be a solid explanation to why we’re reverting to beam attacks after having such a long series presenting us with some of the most unique abilities found in anime/manga.

[lnkedmyheart]

I don't know, I think its weird that so many people are trying to blame soukoku shippers for imaginary problems and acting like skk shippers have a gun to their head forcing them to do things.

Like I dont understand how Hoshikawa drawing 15 is a bad thing just because the same artist made beast just because YOU made up some headcanon in your head. I dont understand why any exploration of Dazai and Chuuya's dynamic in the past gets written off as Asagiri being forced to pander to the "yaoi loving fetishizing" skk shippers as if those two aren't major parts of each other's past and don't have a complex and deep bond. I get being overwhelmed by too much skk content when you dont like it. But to actively make up lies so it can justify your hateful narrative against a bunch of people just trying to enjoy content through made up non existent scenarios is weird as hell to me.

And it just rubs me really weird that skk shippers get written off as yaoi fangirls like many of us aren't queer people interacting with a queer ship. Or is yaoi fetishizing only limited to skk or other popular ships and not whatever ship the anti fixates on?

The number of times I have seen the mildest interaction between skk be written off as cheap fanservice and pandering to the skk shippers is insane. Chuuya appears and doesn't talk about Dazai? Cheap fanservice. Chuuya shows up for a plot relevant role? Cheap pandering. Dazai has a nice moment with any other character? Character development. Dazai is nice to Chuuya? Cheap fanservice. And the moment we got light novels and side manga adaptations of said novels for skk everyone just started raging at and bashing skk shippers and Chuuya stans like we were personally offending people that Asagiri decided that 1 of his many bsd pet projects happened to be about the past of a character who is a major part of Dazai, one of the main character's past. As if stormbringer, fifteen, dead apple and the dragon head prologue parts didn't add anything to Dazai's established character.

I am so tired of skk haters acting like they are the victims of neglect by Asagiri or acting like Asagiri, Hoshikawa and Harukawa are sobbing in a locked room and only getting slices of dry bread when they pledge allegiance to skk nation or some shit.

[r3n0-5]

About Bungou Stray Dogs

I’m happier than ever now that I found a new husband, damn, Asagiri really can write… despite some things, I feel like there are things he still needs to polish, and at the same time I find myself gasping, crying, smiling, having all sorts of feelings I’m not supposed to be able to feel -or recognize ‘cause I have alexitimya- thanks to him, I love his work so much that it doesn’t matter how many words I write, it won’t ever come close to what I actually think about it, it was so good that motivated me to write again, to paint, to draw, I can’t stop creating, he inspired me in ways I have never seen before, maybe it’s because we’re so alike, I noticed that through his work, we’re so besties even when we don’t know each other, I would even dare to say that we were through some similar things in life, he said that his work is not for the ones that are outside and live their lives and don’t need stories like these to feel like they are actually living, he was so right with that one, yes, I really do need stories like oxygen in order to live, and he’s the same, he knows it, he’s aware of it and doesn’t plan to change it, and why bother? Books became an obsession for me from such a young age, and they still are for me and thousands of introverts on the world, his storytelling touches my soul for a reason, ‘cause even when we never met we share likes, experiences, interests, suffering, we live in the same planet, it's amazing when literature can make you feel for an instance you’re not alone, happened to me when I read poets and writers from hundreds of years ago, specifically with Dostoevsky, I could feel his pain, I was feeling so out of place before, Poe was there for me when I had no one, so many critique their words, but it’s because they write about the cruel reality of life that everyone’s loves to ignore ‘cause living in their little happy bubbles is more comfortable, happiness can’t exist without sadness, How would you appreciate those moments when you smile next to someone you love if you haven’t cried your eyes out before? How are you gonna appreciate life if there’s no death? What would be your purpose in living then? That’s when stories like these come to hug you, to tell you you’re not the first one to experience this or that, you’re human, you’re just being alive, and it’s completely ok to feel desperation, terror, madness, loneliness, hate, whatever it is, you won’t be the last feeling those either, isolate if you need to, let your body process what consequences breathing brings, and then rest, heal, and then live again, to anyone reading this, you’re not alone, doesn’t matter how much it looks like you are, an the end, we’re all connected through this thing we call life.

And that’s why I can connect with him and his characters, he writes them in a way that feels alive, he lets them have actual feelings, and that lets me know them more, like their motives, their way of seeing life, and I can empathize with them and feel like I’m living with them, that I’m also a part of the story, and there’s counted works that made me feel that way, so I’m thankful that I decided to watch/read, this series, I understand why, even when Bungou Stray Dogs has a small fandom, they are loud and dedicated enough for it to be noticed by other fandoms, I understand now why they love it so bad, and they made it reach someone like me, I have stopped consuming anime for a long time, I didn’t find it entertaining anymore, but this was a different one, a unique one, a work I want to consume and know more about, the anime wasn’t enough, I’m planning to read the manga, and most of all, I’m excited to read the novels, please Asagiri keep painting a world I want to be part of

[soupthatistohot]

hello soup!! i was wondering if you had any thoughts about kafka asagiri - i’ve heard that that’s a pen name he chose based on franz kafka, an absurdist/modernist writer. do you have any thoughts about why he chose that writer in particular or possibly elements of bsd influenced by franz kafka’s work?

Hi there!! This is a topic I've actually given a lot of thought to because I studied some of Kafka's work for school last semester, so thank you for giving me an excuse to infodump about it!

Franz Kafka is a very prominent absurdist author, and as I've discussed a lot recently, Asagiri seems to incorporate a lot of absurdist themes into BSD, so Kafka must have been an influence of his.

Something important to note about Kafka as a person is that he was a very peculiar man for his time and culture. He was a sickly vegetarian in a culture that ate meat and potatoes, he was a sensitive writer who had to write by night because he worked an office dayjob he hated, he had a contentious relationship with his father, he was socially awkward and notoriously romantically troubled -- basically, I would be shocked if he wasn't neurodivergent.

His works often emphasized the absurdity of reality by bending it in entirely unrealistic ways. His most famous work is "The Metamorphosis," in which a man turns into a giant bug, and his story "The Trial" tells the story of a man framed for a crime he doesn't know about and did not commit, who is sentenced to death basically without trial. Similarly, in "In the Penal Colony," a man in sentenced to be brutally tortured without having trial for his crime, which was petty and small. These three stories especially emphasize the theme of being unjustly punished for no conceivable reason, perhaps an externalization of Kafka's own feelings about his existence in our reality, which he certainly considered to be absurd.

Kafka's works often focused on the absurdity of bureaucracy, but there was also always an emphasis on the loneliness of the main character. In multiple of his stories he simply names the protagonist "K," essentially a self-insert character for himself. He definitely had a tendency to project onto his characters, such as the protagonist of "The Hunger Artist," a man who performs starvation for years until a crowd gets bored with him (Kafka wrote this at a time where he was incredibly ill and could not eat).

All of this to say that there are absolutely themes of Kafka's work and of absurdity in general in BSD. One of the main things, I'd say, is the fact that almost all of the characters are outcasts and weirdos in one way or another. While this aspect of BSD is practical in that the characters' quirkiness makes them compelling and often likable, I think it's also inspired by the alienation one often feels in an absurdist reality. The absurdist protagonist often does not fit into or understand the world around them (which is impetus for them to try to rebel against it), and in the same way that Kafka's characters fought against the system (and often failed), so too do many BSD characters. There's a way in which Kafka didn't "fit" into the world around him that I feel many BSD characters could relate to: Dazai and his struggle with humanity, Atsushi and his struggle for purpose, etc.

Asagiri also doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of bureaucratic institutions. The entire Hunting Dogs arc is centered around the corruption of the government and military, which definitely falls in lines with Kafka's apparent frustrations with the powers that be. Asagiri also plays into that theme of unjust punishment by making his characters endure so much hardship in their struggle with the absurd. Yosano's backstory comes to mind, as does Chuuya's experiences with N in "Stormbringer."

I think where Asagiri and Kafka differ the most is that Kafka often depicts his protagonists failing in one way or another (typically death), whereas Asagiri allows his characters to succeed. To Kafka, the rebellion against an absurd reality, though a noble cause, typically resulted in one's demise, leaving little room for actual hope. Asagiri allows his readers some hope through his characters persisting time and time against in seemingly hopeless situations. So while he might have been inspired by Kafka's absurdist storytelling, how the two authors conclude their works and the tone that they take differ due to their worldview.

I'm not exactly an expert on Kafka, so there's almost definitely stuff I missed, especially because I'm only familiar with certain works of his. I also don't know if Asagiri has talked about Kafka as an inspiration at any point, something an english-speaking audience might miss if interviews are old or untranslated.

Regardless, thank you for asking about this! It was super fun to write about, so I'm happy to share what I do know :)