something i find very interesting is that fukuzawa and fukuchis reunion seems to be an almost directly mirrored version of dazai and chuuyas reunion
both scenes start with fukuchi and chuuya entering the room where their old partner is waiting for them in handcuffs
very soon after that we’re made aware that they have a past together but while fukuchi and fukuzawa start cheerfully drinking together and reminiscing about the past dazai and chuuyas interactions are more tense and they don’t seem to hold any fond memories of each other
when things escalate both fukuchi and chuuya attack the handcuffs of the other to set them free (seriously these are almost exactly the same panel)
and yet fukuchi doesn’t go through with it claiming he knew fukuzawa wanted him to act this way in order to gain the advantage over him in a fight. by keeping him chained fukuchi is able to stay in control while chuuya breaks the chains and directly challenges dazai to a fight which ends with dazai being able to blackmail him by claiming it would look like chuuya let him escape
both fukuchi and dazai propose a deal to their old partner that seems to benefit both sides and while fukuzawa immediately denies chuuya (reluctantly) agrees to go along with dazais plan
the ending of both scenes are completely different now with fukuchi and fukuzawa both being enemies on different sides despite them previously seeming to be on good terms
compare that to dazai and chuuya whose reunion ends with them having agreed to cooperate. despite them having claimed to not have any positive feelings for the other when chuuya leaves they’re making what seems to be on old inside joke of them which lets us see dazai genuinely laugh for the first time
theres such a huge difference in how fukuchi and fukuzawa try to give off the impression of being on civilized terms while actually having very opposing morals and ideals (especially taking into account that fukuchi was the one to manipulate fukuzawa and the ada in the first place) while dazai and chuuya would rather die than have people think they like each other but actually still understand each other like no one else and these scenes highlight that really well in my opinion
Who do you think is the strongest in the world? Gifted? Political leaders? Nope. The most powerful man is the man who has nothing else. Sigma doesn’t have a past. He has amnesia. Unsure of who he was, Sigma looked for a place to be. That place was the casino. That’s why he’ll torch the Hunting Dogs with hellish tenacity to protect the casino. The most terrifying thing of all is a mediocre man who is desperate.