#there was definitely a lot of set up for a good skk conflict

[lnkedmyheart]

am i the only one really disappointed by the new episode? like, i do like it bc it shows how far dazai has came (his words abt trust to fyodor and him not making any snarky remarks towards nikolai after fyodor's death) but it just felt so underwhelming. and just left more and more questions instead of answers.

Imo one of the reasons we feel disappointed is because it took the manga a years and a half to get to this point when it canonically took all of 30 minutes in canon. We sat there making theories upon theories, over analysing every little detail because we were stressed as hell for a year. However, the plan wasn't that out of left field to be entirely honest with you and it feels very soukoku. As for the general plot points that don't add up,

The anime often rushes through several chapters in the manga.

This arc isnt fully over yet. Fyodor's death is very sus given that he just mentioned a previous rival AND his ability is still a mystery till Sigma wakes up. Which has also been foreshadowed with the claim that "he will never wake up again" yeah that's a very in your face remark and it will come back around with Sigma waking up at a crucial point.

We still have the storm, verlaine and the clocktower. I genuinely don't believe this arc is done entirely and it will have a lasting effect going forward and imo will come back in some way.

Again the whole skk thing isn't that far off from their usual bullshittery during missions. Considering a majority of the theories turned out to be true. The elevator theory, the fake out theory, the skk have a plan theory as well as potentially the dazai wasnt 100% sure chuuya could hear him and come through theory based on his words that he didnt know everything.

@iwritenarrativesandstuff mentioned that they'll write an analysis on why they feel it might be bad writing in their opinion so keep an eye out for that. I personally am slightly conflicted but feel that I can't judge the ending unless I see what happens in the manga cause bones does have a habit of really rushing to the end and skipping important points.

[ratwars]

i guess catradora and skk are actually kind of similar in their set up in that you have two children who’ve grown up basically like soldiers of their organisations but are still incredibly close until one of them somehow realises that there’s a world of good out there and deflects to join the “light”.

from there on out there are quite a lot of differences, mostly because skk aren’t actually the main pairing of the show (sskk is) while catradora are the central conflict dynamic of shera.

as much as the fandom loves him, chuuya really is a side character, and even though we know that he knows what’s going on in the mafia and he knows mori (in that he’s not blind to the things mori’s doing but he recognises that he’s a good boss and works willingly for him) his innermost thoughts about the pm aren’t really explored in the main story - at least not on the same level as catra’s are.

catra’s the half of catradora that stays on the evil side (to start off with). i watched it a while ago so i don’t remember exactly but i believe that she either doesn’t realise that the evil side of evil or doesn’t realise the extent of their evil for a long time, mostly bc her “mori” is this toxic mother gothel type figure called shadow weaver (again, kids show, not subtle) who she’s been actively neglected by giving her an insane need to deliver results and impress her and their overarching boss (which eventually becomes her taking over power)

sorry for the rant - i know you said you’re not gonna watch it which - fair enough, i was definitely not the target demographic when i saw it and it definitely tested my patience at times - but i thought that if you like skk you may be interested in the way catradora’s dynamic works too (and plus i forgot how much i loved this show and just really wanted to ramble abt it)

Ahh I see I see thank you for the further explanation! It does sound interesting (the dynamics) I can see the appeal it would have for ppl.

I'm going to be real with you I can't even watch popular shit like the Avatar Airbender stuff and I get distracted or fall asleep for Disney movies even though I know people like it and there are all sorts of reasons why it is objectively good (like I'm not hating on it or being pretentious i promise) I'm not just being stubborn or not believing you when you say it is good 🙏 I just know myself.

[harusomi]

I figure I might as well archive my thoughts concerning the Dead Apple movie in a post, especially now that everyone with a CR premium (or a torrent/pirate site to go to) can see it in their own time. Warning now there are spoilers here for the Dead Apple movie and maybe a bit of the manga...maybe.

If people aren’t sure as to where the movie plays in canon, Dead Apple takes place after Season 2 (the Guild Arc) and 55 Minutes, and overall works as supplementary material, having a more or less contained story in X amount of time that adds to the narrative without detracting it and/or (to an extent) does not break canon. There are two goals as far as I can tell concerning what the movie adds to the characters overall:

Adding more to Atsushi’s backstory as well as affirming reasons why he may be the “key” to finding the Book.

Reaffirming Dazai’s intent of fulfilling Oda’s last request to be a good person, as well as showcasing Soukoku’s partnership.

All extra details aside, the movie does fulfill these two goals while giving a select few characters some good moments for themselves as well. Kyoka is given a little more depth to her feelings towards her own ability, and Fyodor’s presence almost adds a certain wall-breaking element in “making things more entertaining,” His actions may have an underlying motive concerning Atsushi’s role in the movie but for the most part they just serve to create some pretty high-stake moments throughout the second and final acts for the audience. Shibusawa’s character for the first half of the movie had a mysterious allure (although I do feel we have too many geniuses in one spot by this point) and his overall concept is very interesting. His best moments definitely occur with his introduction during the Dragon Head incident and also throughout the Demon Trio moments.

Sad to say, my head felt like this during those points so I can’t say they were really enjoyable.

Overall the movie was just a fun visual watch with some amazingly hilarious moments (see gif above) and it does shine as a Studio Bones production when comparing their action scenes to their others shows like BNHA or Kekkai Sensen.

Narratively speaking though the movie is a bit of a clusterfuck, and it starts to show it during the last two acts. The movie itself is very confused as to whether the main conflict should center around Soukoku vs Shibusawa or Atsushi vs Shibusawa. This fact become wholly apparent to me in the ADA briefing scene. The first 10-15 minutes of the movie have properly established that Dazai and Chuuya do have history with Shibusawa via Dragon Head incident, yet the movie does a bait and switch by giving Atsushi some mysterious connection to Shibusawa as well, something that ends up serving as a second act plot twist transition into the last act. I had made a point that the movie did succeed in fulfilling two goals; this does not mean that they did a good job doing so. 

My main issue with the movie begins with Atsushi’s overall role throughout the movie, which is actually very small when compared to Dazai and Chuuya’s. While I do understand he is the main and our focal character in BSD, it feels as though the movie doesn’t know what to do with him up until the last act, to which by that point the intended twist of Atsushi killing Shibusawa just...rings hollow. 

In comparison Chuuya has a strong grudge built up from the Dragon Head incident, and the movie sets up a premise that just screams good conflicts for him. For one we know that six of his friends died by Shibusawa’s hand six years ago, and he attempted to kill the man but failed to do so, and Shibusawa escapes with help from the Special Abilities Department (which ties to his interaction with Ango in the movie) and is then revealed to have now returned with the help of his ex-partner. All of this information is delivered within the first and second acts, and honestly it made me feel the story was supposed to be for him initially, but they had to cram Atsushi in somewhere because he’s the MC. Truth be told, despite me not being an SKK shipper, I do feel the movie would have been better if it’s primary focus was on Chuuya with maybe a nod or two towards Atsushi’s backstory (delivered in the form of Shibusawa’s motivations to to return to Yokohama in the first place).

So...yeah. I have a love-hate relationship for Dead Apple in that I more or less hate how the narrative is structured, but I did enjoy watching the movie when I don’t think about that. Ranpo’s three minute presence in the movie overall is enough to make that worthwhile (mainly because I felt those three minutes actually say a lot of his character and overall growth, especially now after reading Untold story...god I’m really hopeless).