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yeet-leg · 5 years

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Despite the last episode of Banana Fish being called “The Catcher And The Rye”, it holds more of a metaphor to its namesake, “A Perfect Day For Bananafish”, by J.D. Salinger.

Ash’s death is rather metaphorical, if you will. It is a metaphor to the death of Seymour Glass, a war veteran with psychological trauma and also the main character of “Bananafish” along with a child named Sybil that he meets at the beach. Seymour tells Sybil stories of a fish called the bananafish, which start out as normal fish before gorging themselves on bananas they find in “the banana hole” before getting stuck within and dying.

Who is the story’s “Sybil”, and what is the banana hole of Banana Fish?

It is easy to argue that Eiji is our Sybil, but the same can be said about Sing. Sing is a child when he meets Ash, and like Sybil, he is curious about Ash even if he does claim to hate him at the beginning. Eiji, however, has Sybil’s childlike innocence. Seymour, as a way of coping, acting in an almost childish fashion. This can also bring in the short poem written by Yoshida, “That Summer”, in which there is a line that reads: “The summer we were boys for the very last time”.

Ash can only truly be a child when he is with Eiji and can be brought back to Seymour’s way of using a more childlike mindset to cope. Ash does not do the exact same thing, spinning stories of old, but he does soften and seem less tense and the trauma of his past at the back of his mind.

The “banana hole” of Banana Fish,is not physical not Salinger’s, much like the actual fish themselves. One can assume that the fish represent people and the bananas are actually vices (drugs, money, sex). It seems that the banana hole of this story is love. It’s rather ironic, in the sense that Ash even says that falling in love in his world is dangerous because they could be killed, and that rings true in the end. Rather than being gorged on Eiji’s love, he is blinded and overwhelmed, he falls in and cannot get out. It makes Eiji’s love his vice, and like all vices, it is deadly.

That, however, is not to blame Eiji for Ash’s death, but rather to provide insight. One cannot blame the fish for consuming the berry, not when they don’t even know why it’s being consumed. Ash’s reason is a mix of things. Love, loneliness, fear, to name a few. Ash is scared that he will lose Eiji, to the point where he does not care for himself any longer. Eiji is similar to that of an addiction, and it’s not unhealthy, it doesn’t make Eiji bad, it just makes him the first to see Ash’s soul, as scarred and tattered as it is, and try to heal him, even if he can’t succeed in doing so.

Back to my initial train of thought, Ash’s death is a metaphor to Seymour’s because while it may seem pointless or misplaced, it is the perfect way to end their stories. To push it on any further would be cruel, not when Seymour is at the end of his rope and Ash doesn’t know how to live without Dino suffocating him, or using his body or violence. Could Ash have recovered? Maybe, but part of me can’t see it. I do not believe that Ash could have gone on for the simple reason that he’s been conditioned to live a life where his body is a weapon and a tool, Ash does not know how to live, he just knows how to go through the motions, similarly to how Seymour seemed to be going through them. Seymour committed suicide, leaving behind his wife. Ash died from a stab wound (though he and Seymour would have shared a fate had he killed himself earlier on for Eiji).

Ash’s death is saddening, yes, but his story cannot go on any further. Ash got his chance to experience true happiness and he was okay with that. He died with a smile on his face, and most of all, he kept Eiji, forever. It’s morbid and sad, but Ash kept Eiji’s soul with him, as well as Sing’s mind.

“What happens to them?” “What happens to who?” “The bananafish.” “Oh, you mean after they eat so many bananas they can’t get out of the banana hole?” “Yes,” said Sybil. “Well, I hate to tell you, Sybil. They die.” — J.D Salinger, A Perfect Day For Bananafish

#banana fish spoilers

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yeet-leg · 5 years

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An analysis of the relationship between Hordak and Shadow Weaver

I’ve gotta say, I really am in love with the new She-Ra netflix reboot. Any praises I have to say about this show have already been repeated at least a hundred times over by everyone else on this site, and with good reason.

With that in mind, I feel inclined to talk about the dynamics between two of our primary antagonists in the show; Hordak, and Shadow Weaver. Because I find it to be a surprisingly interesting one, from what I’ve seen.

Now, maybe I’m just looking too deeply into things, or projecting some of my personal headcanons, but this is what I’ve noticed about the two; Namely, that Hordak, in general… actually seems to dislike Shadow Weaver.

In their interactions, you get the feeling that Hordak is mostly tolerating Shadow Weaver. Just about all of their on-screen interactions have ended in Hordak expressing contempt for Shadow Weaver, and for surprisingly valid reasons. He seems to dislike her excessive cruelty, which he evidently views as hindering the Horde as a whole. And honestly? I get the impression that up until the end of the season, Hordak was legit waiting for someone to appear and prove themselves as a better commander than Shadow Weaver. It seemed like he was waiting, if not looking, for a proper excuse/reason to not have to deal with Shadow Weaver.

I get the impression that Hordak only tolerates Shadow Weaver’s selfish agenda and antics because she’s comparatively the best person for her position as Second-in-Command. She’s a big fish, in a small pond, mind you… Which makes me wonder if Shadow Weaver has been deliberately keeping said pond small, in order to keep her position.

As we’ve already established, Hordak was pretty clearly waiting for someone to come along and prove themselves as better than SW, so he could finally get rid of her. And I think SW knew this… which in turn puts an interesting spin on her training and overlooking new recruits and child soldiers. Because if SW knows that Hordak is looking for a replacement, then it gives us the very real possibility that she’s been actively hindering these new cadets in order to keep her authority.

And Hordak? Hordak suspects, if not outright knows, this. Which is where his little spy/pet(?) Imp comes into play. Hordak has considered the possibility of Shadow Weaver’s bias. He’s considered the idea that she’s deliberately skewed his perception of Force Captain candidates through her biased reports, such as in cases where one cadet is ideally the better Force Captain, but is kept from the spot because said cadet doesn’t respect SW’s authority and is more inclined towards Hordak.

So in comes Imp, as the objective truth and reality of how well these cadets are doing. Imp is a spy that even SW doesn’t have tabs on. While Shadow Weaver feeds Hordak an altered perception of the cadets and their progress, in order to get the ones she desires elected, or else NOT elected… Imp comes in and watches the actual mission. He watches the actual, raw, unchanged events of the cadets training, and then gives Hordak the actual reality so that Hordak can figure out who is REALLY the ideal person he wants to promote.

Because in all honesty… I think Hordak KNEW it was Catra’s idea to kidnap Glimmer and Bow. He just blamed Shadow Weaver for it anyway, as karmic justice for her taking credit for things as always.

So with all that in mind, I can see Hordak receiving a report on the alleged worthiness of certain cadets or candidates for promotion, before he has Imp come in and tell him the truth. And by comparing and contrasting Imp’s objective reality with the twisted lies of SW, Hordak gets an idea what it is she’s trying to do behind his back, and who he wants to look out for.

And I can see SW realizing Hordak knows this, and vice-versa… Which leads to this careful game of cat and mouse, this delicate power balance between the two as Shadow Weaver keeps an eye out for Imp, all while trying to prove her comparative worth by low key sabotaging others and/or taking credit. And Hordak, ultimately, has to keep SW in power… Because by the end of the day, by her fault or not, she IS the comparatively best candidate for Second-in-Command. But not for long… someone will rise through the Horde’s ranks and prove themselves. Shadow Weaver will slip in her plans… and that’s where Adora comes in.

Adora is Shadow Weaver’s hidden ace up her sleeve. At some point, I imagine Shadow Weaver realized that, no matter how hard she tried, someone would come along, prove themselves, and ultimately be recognized as more viable a commander than SW to Hordak. So what does she do? She prepares Adora.

Shadow Weaver raises Adora… personally teaches, praises her, acts more like a parent than a teacher to Adora… She ensures Adora succeeds above everyone else. No doubt most of Adora’s success is of her own merit, of course… But I can see SW going out of her way to give Adora an unfair advantage for tests anyway, just in case.

And why does SW do a 180 on her previous tactics of keeping power in the Horde? Because, as far as she can tell, as Adora’s abuser and parental figure… she controls Adora. Which means that even if Adora takes her place as Hordak’s Second-in-Command, it doesn’t matter- Because she can tell Adora what to do. She (thinks) she knows Adora’s every weakness, how Adora ticks… ideally, if her plan goes perfectly, it won’t even matter if SW is demoted to a freaking janitor.

Because as long as she controls Adora, she can make Adora be biased in her own assessments of potential rivals to SW’s control. SW can have Adora do things that she herself would never dare do under Hordak’s watchful eye. And she knows this- Adora is no more than a puppet leader to be controlled by Shadow Weaver, from the shadows. This way, she still keeps power, without having to play her dangerous game with Hordak.

As for Catra? I imagine that Shadow Weaver lowkey feared Catra, because she was exactly what Hordak was waiting for. She’s ambitious, clever, and most importantly, dislikes Shadow Weaver. And I can see Shadow Weaver arranging an ‘accident’ to get rid of Catra, to keep her from ever reaching her potential, but then Adora and Catra become buddies. And as someone who aims to have total control on Adora, SW needs her on her good side.

So, she lets Adora keep Catra, figuring it’ll make Adora grateful to her and even more of a pawn. Thus, Catra, despite the risk she poses, has her own uses… until Adora defects.

THAT’s when things go wildly wrong. Because Shadow Weaver has poured so much effort and resources into this one puppet leader, and without her… we have a fully-trained Catra to take Adora’s ideal spot, and replaced SW. And Hordak KNOWS this, which is why Shadow Weaver panics and wants to take back Adora.

And she doesn’t just kill off Catra as a threat, because she recognizes that as Adora’s best friend, Catra could easily bring Adora back to the horde. So Shadow Weaver lets Catra live, if only to bring Adora back. Once she does, however… lights out for Catra.

But Catra fails. So Shadow Weaver decides to take things into her own hands in Episode 7. Shadow Weaver thinks she knows Adora. She thinks she can CONTROL Adora to her every whim. She is, after all, an abuser. And abusers are the ones obsessed the most with control, and yet they have it the least… perhaps as a result, or cause of their desire.

But Shadow Weaver realizes she can’t control Adora, because Adora’s tasted actual love, friendship, and support. She never understood Adora, unlike Catra, who was an actual decent person and friend. And when she realizes that Adora is truly lost… that she’s truly gone…

…Well, things go downhill from here. Catra has already been promoted to Force Captain in Adora’s place. She’s gotten Hordak’s attention. Her ideal puppet leader has been lost forever, and now the person SW fears the most for potentially replacing her, is rising through the ranks.

And this ultimately culminates in Shadow Weaver trying to straight-up murder Catra, openly defying Hordak’s orders and being just a tad shy of outright treason against the Horde. But it’s too late- Catra wasn’t some dumb child. She wasn’t JUST a victim- Because in her lifetime of abuse, she observed. She, too, saw and began to understand Shadow Weaver’s tactics. So when SW comes in for the kill, Catra can predict her every move and retaliate, ultimately defeating Shadow Weaver and rendering powerless in every sense of the term. Shadow Weaver’s greatest fears have come to fruition.

And you want to know why? It’s because, by the end of the day… nobody likes Shadow Weaver. Oh, sure, some tolerate her… but nobody actually likes or feels real loyalty to her. She literally had nobody to be a friend, much less an ally, and so she had to MAKE her own ally in Adora- But Shadow Weaver is such a twisted person that that, naturally, fails.

Contrast this to Hordak, who, for all of his disregard for nature and the natural order, is still a reasonable and pragmatic boss who will promote someone if he feels they have proved themselves. Or Catra, who is an actual person and isn’t truly malicious, and is able to find friends in people such as Scorpia, whom Shadow Weaver deliberately selected to keep an eye on Catra.

And speaking of Scorpia, I imagine Shadow Weaver chose her to watch Catra, because comparatively… Scorpia was the Force Captain that hated SW the least. Scorpia actually had no loyalty to Shadow Weaver, just no spite. Plus, I can see SW underestimating Scorpia as just a ‘dumb goon’ or something like that, and underestimating her need and willingness for friendship that allows her to hit it off with the far more appealing ally that is Catra.

So, yeah. The follies of Shadow Weaver ultimately lie in her unpleasant, cruel nature as a person. She is selfish, abusive, and controlling. And ultimately, Shadow Weaver’s greatest weakness is that she is alone. After all, the show’s own theme song stresses the importance of people acting as a team, as a group, and supporting each other.

And Shadow Weaver supports no one… which means she has no one to support her. And that’s why Hordak is outright looking for someone to replace her by the beginning of the series.

#god i love this shit #this explains a lot of things i've been thinking about in terms of their relationship

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