#tosaki yu

[zevvin]

this trip blows (panel redraw)

[demonmew25]

Why do I always like the bitchy, sassy, suited pretty guys with questionable morals? 😩

Look at these pretty assholes! 😭

[gomiworm]

i dont have a type guys cmon

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Yu Tosaki fans.

[theabyssalorange]

Prompt 2: Orange, Behind The Scenes: Team Tosaki

They're not the best at small talk.

[meowmeowraven]

Hello!! I'm Raven or Rei whichever works! I will start writting fanfics, please don't be mean, i'm new to writting fics.

Okay, now let's get some rules laid.

1. I will only write x reader fics.

2. NO SMUT. I only write fluff, platonic and angst.

3. No minor x adult, if i will write for a minor it's platonic ONLY.

4. No gore (mild only), suggestions of r4p3, and things like that.

Least but not last! The fandoms i'll write for:

1. Honkai Impact 3rd (if you're a male, requesting for non platonic and it's something romantic, i will not reply);

2. Honkai star rail

3. Ajin: demi-human (Nagai Kei, Nakano Ko, Kaito, Shimomura Izumi, Tosaki Yu)

That's kinda all for now, but this will change from time to time. Okay, thanks for reading!!

[lathidraws]

The original Team Tosaki.

[eidolonlathi]

The Two Aspects of Dehumanization in Ajin

I find it interesting that it is stated several times in the story that in order to be able to persecute those labelled as demi-humans, regular humans need to express the temporary need to get rid of their own humanity entirely.

“We are not humans.” - Parallels between chapter 02 and chapter 54

Chapter 02

Chapter 54

I find these panels highly interesting not only for the fact they parallel each other but for what this pattern implies for the world ajin is set in.

Since the beginning of the story, authorities in charge justified the capturing, restriction and torture of ajin for the sake of commercial and scientific use of said individuals with the reason that ajin are not human. That even though humans and ajin look the same and are entirely indistinguishable until the moment a person proves to be unable to die, they must be viewed as two different species. Justifying like this that the values and empathy humans give each other do not apply for ajin. Because ajin are not to been seen as equals, but as something entirely different. A potential threat, an anomaly of how the order of nature is “supposed to work”, as something alien.

It didn’t take the reader many chapters to come to the conclusion that this reasoning is hypocrisy of the finest kind. An excuse to keep the status quo in place that robs ajin of their rights and puts them at whim of whoever is in charge of managing their case.

Ironic that this kind of systematic dehumanization does not only affect ajin but also the humans being forced to deal with them.

Seeing Izumi reacting baffled to Tosaki’s statement comes as little surprise, as the reader realizes soon into the story that he has the habit to force her into compliance by threatening to reveal her ajin status (which only he is aware of at the time). Izumi is safe as long as she is allowed to play human, Tosaki not shy to remind her that next it could be her lying on the laboratory table forced to endure experiments should she inconvenience him enough to no longer stand in his favour. He makes a point during this time that he doesn’t view them as equals. At the same time he has no problems distancing himself from his own humanity for the sake of keeping his position, even going so far as to encourage Izumi to do the same. And with this very encouragement reveals his own hypocrisy: By letting her know she has to let go of her own humanity, he acknowledges that she has one, that despite his constant reminding that he is the one holding the very power over her that has the potential to letting her end up getting dehumanized by turning her into a test subject, he still views her mind as that of a fellow human. A fellow human who needs the same coping mechanism he does, who needs strategies of distancing themselves from the daily and systematic abuse of ajin they’re both part of.

Many chapters later we hear the same sentiment again, this time stated by a human who is addressing his subordinates who are just about to go out and hunt for ajin. Revealing once again that certain roles force people to deny their own humanity – this time with the justification that the need of the individual soldier in this situation has to stand behind the wellbeing of the group they’re part of, has to stand behind what is best for the public. A self-inflicted dehumanization for the sake of keeping a machinery in place that keeps inflicting harm on fellow humans: With the justification that they’re not equals at all but only half a human who deserve to get their basic rights taken away. Not due to something they did wrong but due to circumstances outside their own influence, due to something they are. As abandoning one’s own humanity is justified and even encouraged as long as it’s done by choice but not when it’s an element of an individual’s nature they cannot change.

[wool-string]

Part 2 of ajin kids. I feel like if they met earlier, tanaka would be soft shy boy and Izumi would be spunky highschool girl.

And if he ever did have to raise Satou he would definitely be very sad and stressed.

[sagawanuno]

I wanted this to be a fan art of Tosaki from Ajin, but... It does not seem like a sketch of him...

[missingart]

Ajin Week. Day 2: The Magician / Favorite Quote / Marigold

“Do not make me dunk you in a vat of formalin.” Tozaki, Tosaki, Tazaki.

[demonmew25]

Just a drawing of Yuu Tosaki from Ajin, I have already coloured him in, but cannot upload that yet as I need access to a scanner. Tosaki is such an awesome character, he deserves more love damnit! lol :3 

[maruki]

so maybe you should check yourself before you tell me what you think of me.

[theabyssalorange]

Have some piping hot Ajin memes, fresh out of the oven!

[eidolonlathi]

Sokabe’s wider Role in the Story

Taken it’s been many solid chapters since he has disappeared from the manga, I thought it fitting to have a closer look at the role Sokabe used to have in the story.

I miss Sokabe. As long as he was still around in the manga, the dynamics in Team Tosaki (and the fractions bordering next to it) were still uncertain and it was always fun to witness how they would develop next. Since Sokabe is gone this energy has become kind of... stale. If you have a great antagonistic character don't make them leave too early.

What makes a character an antagonist in this manga’s mess of motivations and ambitions set on the grey scale though? I always viewed him to be the different side of the same coin as Tosaki: Just as much driven by ambition, just as ruthless in his approach. All while showing to have enough patience and foresight to plan in a long time manner, thus becoming an element one couldn’t dismiss in its potential to bring in unexpected positive or negative dynamics that carry gravity. And yet: Despite his wish to win over Tosaki’s position of job, Sokabe proved himself to be reliable, the messenger link keeping Tosaki connected to his position once his place on the hit list had forced him into hiding. Gradually Sokabe earned his part in the story and the periphery of Tosaki’s team: For a long time he kept providing support and information despite Tosaki’s fall from favour in the eyes of their superiors.

Proving to stay useful like this might have been fuelled by Sokabe’s own ambition, but Tosaki never made a secret he viewed him with contempt, letting this bias influence his treatment of him. Yet he had no hesitation using him whenever it was convenient – demanding him to participate in risky tasks like digging up information about Sato’s background (that at this late stage of the manga might prove to be crucial). Sokabe openly stated it would bring him into trouble should it be known that he had shared this knowledge. So, motivation aside, Sokabe deserves respect and at least some recognition for remaining this patient when constantly getting confronted with this kind of capricious whims.

I also have the impression he genuinely felt supportive towards Tosaki’s goals up to a certain point. Because that’s it: Sure, he had a rivalry dynamic with Tosaki going on, but once matters got serious and counted, Sokabe always proved to be reliable. Yet Tosaki made the impression he was not only taking Sokabe’s help for granted but at the same time acted dismissive towards him. Everyone would grow tired of that at some point.

Chapter 53 reflections: Tosaki getting a call from his mysterious secretary, speaking with them. Once upon a time, I was hoping for mystery secretary to show up for real in some panels. It felt like they could have been an interesting addition to the plot, bringing all kinds of fresh dynamics into it. Because given the fact Sokabe later explicitly pointed out that he hired one, instead of just getting a nebulous phone call informing him about what Tosaki had done to the secret data, it didn’t seem random. I could only assume their presence had gotten introduced for some kind of reason.

But, with this plot thread leaving left hanging empty and leading to nowhere since many chapters, I guess we won’t hear any more concerning that subject. Which would be a missed chance, really. With Sokabe framed in the position of an antagonist towards side Tosaki, it would have been interesting to see him humanized a bit, by showing that despite his unapologetic approach and motivation he still had people in his life caring about him –like a subordinate he got along well with- instead of going the safe and convenient route and showing the baddie is liked by none. It would also have added an interesting layer on his repeated comparisons with Tosaki (them looking vaguely alike is no coincidence), showing that both men might be able to commit heinous deeds but at the same time are able to care for people in their lives. Proving like this that the capability to commit evil acts wears no easily recognizable face (but that it sometimes may wear glasses).

Sokabe pointing out Tosaki’s inability to let go of the wish to return into the familiarity of his old life despite already having wilfully committed heinous deeds is framed as him being the antagonistic part here. But honestly, keeping in mind the atrocities we already saw Tosaki commit: Sokabe has a point here. With the manga speeding on Tosaki’s redemption in his final chapters, instead of following the more time-intense path of the gradual betterment he already had started walking -even going so far as to retcon his repeated threats towards Izumi as holding no weight- the story also tried to make a point that Tosaki is supposed to be the lesser evil than Sokabe. Which he really isn’t. Both were willing to use the suffering of ajin used for experiment for their personal gain, with the difference that Tosaki tried telling himself he did it for a good reason, using the illness of his fiancée Ai as an excuse, even though she once told him explicitly she didn’t wish for him to go down an questionable path should he ever feel pressured to do so. Sokabe on the other hand uses no such excuse, ironically appearing as the one staying more true to himself here by not explaining away his readiness to go down dark paths for the sake of reaching his own goals.

Soon after the glove panels the action in the main timeline intensified fast and Tosaki suddenly saw the need to kill Sokabe, getting wounded deadly himself in the process. All this for the sake of trying to prove that Tosaki never had been a real threat to Izumi and had been on her side all along. Frankly? It would have been more impactful if Tosaki would have been on Izumi’s side despite him intimidating her in the past, despite him holding data about her able to reveal her status as an ajin should she ever stop standing in his favour. That would have been a meaningful redemption. Tosaki already showed potential for change and even regret – seeing him earn a change would have felt more rewarding than seeing him being forced by canon to backpedal on his past flaws entirely, on top of this being allowed to find a quick solution in death, escaping any incoming conflict caused by his acts for good. Through the story he proved ready to act ruthless for the sake of reaching his own goals many times. On a more complex note, this also made it more meaningful once he lessened his harsh treatment towards Izumi, him starting to treat her more humane: Implying that though he stayed ready to keep using other ajin, interacting on a daily base with her wasn’t letting him stay unaffected. This slow redemption and thus humanization of his was one of the more engaging parts of the manga, and I’m disappointed that after a strong start it got rushed, letting it end in a manner not feeling true to what we encountered at the beginning.

What we got instead was a rushed solution for the sake of redeeming Tosaki quick. During the Iruma base arc, we’ve seen Sokabe imply he knew about Izumi’s status as ajin and that he would have been ready to use this as a threat to keep her in line, once Tosaki would have been out of the way. So, in other words, we’ve seen him do the exact kind of intimidation Tosaki used against Izumi. But instead of acknowledging Tosaki’s past flaws, it was retconned as him never having possessed intentions to reveal information about her at all, his threats supposed having been empty all along. More, Izumi no longer was allowed to hold conflicting feeling towards the man who gave her a second chance at a point life had already robbed her of everything (at that time out of purely self-serving motivations, not because he cared about her personally, make no mistake) but at the same time had the habit to threaten her into compliance: The manga lets her claim she “knew all along” about his threats being empty, letting her thank him instead for everything he “did for her”: Thus reducing her struggle to stay safe in an hostile environment that could turn on her any time as her playing along in a connection of mutual convenience she never had the need to feel in danger. All of this for the sake of rushing the final confrontation between Tosaki and Sokabe into a quick solution: Reducing Sokabe from skilled schemer to moustache twirling cartoon villain who is suddenly wielding a narcotic gun, oh so heroically getting taken out by Tosaki, who went from ruthless opportunist who slowly experienced a change of mind to a player only holding a bluff of cards in his hand, never having needed the redemption he already had started earning. For the sake of protecting sudden damsel in distress Izumi (female characters only allowed to act badass when convenient) who is no longer allowed to hold her own complex motivations and grievances, but now got reduced to another prop supposed to support Tosaki’s softened origins. (Sadly the story isn’t giving us time to dwell on this, as she is already kept busy again with having to cater towards demanding and ungrateful manchildren who are making no secret they’re taking her for granted.)

I can only assume letting the started redemption of Tosaki -his mending of his relationship with Izumi- letting reach its organic end would have taken too much development. Time the manga wasn't willing to give this plotline, so it got speeded along by simplifying and outright retconning already established circumstances. These three characters would have deserved better. But sadly it is unlikely we’re getting much more on that front: Tosaki getting wounded deadly erases the question how his and Izumi’s complicated relationship might develop further. (Him letting his fiancée join in death also erases the question what she would have said finding out her boyfriend went against her wishes to not engage in questionable actions should circumstances ever pressure him. On top of this him justifying his actions by stating he committed them for her sake only.) With Sokabe also dead he no longer poses an uncertain force towards what is left of Team Tosaki – be it as a potential threat or as source of unexpected support, making the final showdown between these manga’s two opposing sides less uncertain and thus sadly much more predictable.

[incredubious]

ive got some ajin stickers on redbubble!