Latest Posts by certifiedlesbianvampire - Page 8

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"How do I put this? Seeing you guys together brings back memories." ... "I also trained with another guy to become honki people."

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the backstory for senya and ichiya this episode was revealed... and it's every bit as gay as you can imagine.

“stop smiling, i'm kicking ur ass”

reference pic/scene......... guys pls watch bottoms 2023 pleas eplease please

doubtful abt them ever showing their families so i just be making whole ass ocs now..... here is jabashiri's brother and hagure's parents in my mind 🙏

Buddy needs a break ;;m;;

self reblog bc I made some edits to further clarify on some of my points! (indicated w an *asterisk)

this week's episode was one that i've been looking forward to for a while, and while not perfect in execution, i still found it interesting, especially how it expanded on matakara and how his and arajin's fight played out.

arajin is a character that is guilty, that flees unless absolutely necessary not to, and would rather save face. he is a character that is meant to be unlikeable. contrast this with matakara, who is kind and considerate, helps his friends, and is willing to reach out, even if someone has hurt him. even their reasons for fighting could be pit against each other: arajin wants to fight to lose his virginity, and matakara wants to fight for his brother, arajin, and his friends.

the difference between arajin’s idealization of mahoro and matakara’s idealization of arajin is that, at the very least, you’re meant to make fun of/laugh at arajin- because you're not supposed to like him. matakara’s idealization of arajin is not put in a comedic light, because you're made to sympathize with him; you're meant to root for him. another example of a character who idealizing another person: mahoro. mahoro is self-aware she’s delusional. she’s self aware her brother doesn’t want her, and because she is so weird about him, her brother doesn’t open up to her as a result. but even mahoro (as much as i hate the brocon thing) can recognize it'll never happen. she still has her core values that don't stem from her brother.

arajin and matakara idealize people for two similar reasons. arajin is in love with the idea of mahoro, because she represents what is expected of arajin, a guy who wants to be un notable because he believes he can’t do more.

matakara idealizes arajin, because arajin represents the simpler, ideal life, the best life one can live as honki person, one that he strives toward. he idolizes arajin because he himself needs something to cling onto after his brother is gone.

matakara and arajin are two characters both stuck in the past. they both keep ideals from their childhood; because arajin couldn’t protect matakara, he believes he is weak and cannot do more than that on his own. matakara believes that since arajin wanted to become honkibito together, he would still want the same deep down and it’s him who’s weak.

matakara puts his faith in people, even if it hurts him. arajin doesn't put his faith in people, but he gets hurt because he doesn't trust anyone. both put their faith in different things because they don't trust themselves, so they let others dictate it for them. both are stubborn about their beliefs, yet fragile, and it hurts them when they are questioned so they double down on it.

arajin is an asshole, hell, he's a bad friend, but he never lied about his motives. matakara seeing their relationship through rose-tinted glasses and arajin being detached harms the both of them; it prevents their relationship from progressing any further.

arajin is *partially right, he is not is not what matakara thinks he is: the ideal matakara holds for himself and him. one of the key things that is first emphasized about honki people is that, "they don't run away." this is what arajin has been doing all this time. even then, arajin has not been tricking matakara in any capacity, because matakara has an idea of what arajin is, and clings to it for support.

*arajin didn’t lie back then about wanting to be honki people together, but since he believes he can’t do more for matakara (he’s used to running away) he avoids confrontation about it. matakara’s used these ideals as support so basically it’s like his beliefs were a lie

arajin is no longer the ideal that matakara saw in his childhood. now that matakara's ideals are shattered, he is vunerable to akutaro's & ichiya's manipulation.

i do think arajin and matakara are capable of being friends. however, they both need time and space to process their emotions. it’s shown that they can look out for each other, but one is overly committed (to an ideal version of the other) and the other is not. they need to find a middle ground to understand each other. i love their relationship because they're made out to be so different, yet they're so similar. i love how messy they both are, and i'm so excited to see how their relationship could possibly contrast ichiya/senya's. more importantly, i can't wait to see how their relationship develops/spirals from here.

Bucchigiri Utena Parallel-The Greek Chorus

In many plays and stories, the Greek Chorus refers to a group of characters that either commentate on the main storyline or have their own subplot that parallels or foreshadows the main story that appears. It's rare when they actually interact with the main characters but their role is meant to emphasize the meanings and plot events that occur.

In Bucchigiri, we have Nyan Nyaight Love which is their version of the Shadow Play Girls from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

For those who aren't familiar with the Shadow Play Girls, they serve as an actual Greek Chorus in the Utena anime. Every episode, the girls put on a cryptic and bizarre play with a message that correlates to the ongoing events or conflicts that Utena, Anthy and the Student Council deal with throughout the series. Some are straight forward and easy to understand, others are straight up wackadoodle and have layers of meaning to comprehend. But each skit contains a hidden but vital message that relates to the main storyline in Utena.

While Nyan Nyaight Love may not be as complicated or bizarre as the Shadow Play Girls, they still do their part in paralleling the Bucchigiri storyline.

Episode 1: Introductions

The first episode features the customer contemplating whether he should go into NNL or if he should leave. It isn't until he sees Arajin being chased down the street by the NG Boys that he enters out of fear of being spotted.

The customer serves as a parallel to Arajin. He too is a wimpy, unappealing, jittery, hopeless, mopey, delusional everyman. And just like how the customer was unsure as to whether he should enter a shady, controversial place like NNL, Arajin also struggles with entering the dangerous and colorful world of the Ichizu Gangs. And his involvement in their lifestyle has mainly been a forced reaction, as in he jumps into the fray while fearful for his safety. The NNL Receptionist can also be seen as a parallel for the colorful banchos and bad boys that Arajin, and the audience, meet in their upcoming encounters.

In the world of Revolutionary Girl Utena, one of the ongoing themes was fairy tales and stories that are told from one person to another. The Shadow Girls fit that theme by putting on plays for the audience about their own stories. So there are clear parallels of the main storyline.

And then we "meet" Jasmine.

Just like it's the customer's first time in a place like NNL, it's also Arajin's first time in the world of Ichizu's gangs. And his meeting with Jasmine is a clear parallel to him meeting Mahoro for the first time. This is more apparent when you take in the Disney movie with Arajin (Aladdin) meeting his beloved Mahoro (Jasmine).

It's also worth noting that the customer asks if he can use the honorific "chan" which is mainly used for people/girls that someone has a close relationship with. And despite meeting her for only one day, Arajin is the one who proposes that it is "fate" that brought him and Mahoro together and how they're destined to be lovers. Clearly he's skipping multiple steps in the relationship making process expecting Mahoro to feel the same way.

Episode 2: I Couldn't Stay Away

The second time, the customer returns and is scared into entering the building after Senya drags along Arajin. Despite some hesitance, he asks the Receptionist for Jasmine again.

So it's pretty obvious, the customer is in "love" with Jasmine and is hooked onto her. Even when she starts to "cling" to him.

At this point, Arajin has fallen head over heels for Mahoro and can't get her out of her head. His new motivations begin and end with conquering Mahoro's heart so he can use her to lose his virginity. And to conquer her heart and be as close to her as possible, he's more than willing to go through a shady and morally ambiguous place like the gang life.

Though the clingy part comes off as self-delusion since Mahoro absolutely hates him and wants nothing to do with him. Even making it clear constantly from this episode onward. Yet Arajin isn't bothered and is eager to make her his.

However, this does set up as it's first example of foreshadowing for the following episode.

Even though Mahoro hates him, she decides to play along with his infatuation with her when he's recruited into Siguma Squad. She's "clinging" to him in order to sway and manipulate him so he'll be able to take over Siguma Squad as it's new leader, forcing her brother to graduate so she can have him all to himself. Or so Arajin will get beat up badly, she's down for whatever. And because Arajin is stuck in his self-delusion about Mahoro and their destined love life, he doesn't see the red flags and falls for her claws. Eager to continue hanging out with the violent happy SS regardless of the peril he may face.

Episode 3: This episode did not feature a NNL segment.

Episode 4: Please Forgive Me

The customer is once again contemplating whether he should go in or not, even saying that he should just quit. Alas, a chubby Arajin scares him inside where he once again asks for Jasmine. Only now he's in hot water for having left her for so long.

While normally this would be a stand in for Arajin and his hopeless love for Mahoro and how he's failing her, this time, the customer represents another character.

In this case, it's Matakara.

Earlier in the episode, he gets into another conversation with Arajin over the upcoming Gang War and how they should stop it. But it soon turns into another plea for him to rebuild their friendship and how he wants to become Honki people with him like before. Despite his efforts, Arajin tells him to get over it and orders him to leave him alone. Just like a cat turning her back on the customer after their absence.

And just like the customer blames himself for her anger, Matakara believes he's at fault for their friendship failing. Because he was too weak to fight the thugs who beat him up which is why Arajin abandoned him. And much like how the customer never viewed at any other "cat", Matakara has his eyes and heart only for Arajin. Even after making new friends in the Minato Kai club, his idol has always been his childhood friend who inspired him when he was just a weak boy so many years ago.

And he'll make that fact known to Arajin everytime they meet; reminding him that he's someone of great importance in his life and that he just has to believe him. No matter how many times he's turned away, Matakara still holds him dearly in his heart.

Episode 5: The Next Level

The customer returns and declares that it's a big day for him. This time he gets scared in by Kenichirou and the Minato Kai Gang making their way to the upcoming warzone.

Hoping to patch things up with Jasmine, the customer presents a gift.

The way I interpret this scene, it comes off as taking his relationship with Jasmine to the next level by giving her a choker. For pets, giving them a choker can be considered the same as giving them a collar. Usually to signify your bond as master and pet. Or in this case, it comes off as the customer treating his precious Jasmine to a gift in the hopes of raising her mood.

For this scene, I see it as a parallel to everyone's relationships and how they're moving on to the next level.

This takes place during the Gang War two parter with both gangs going at each other only for the NG Boys to stage their attack. The fighting persists until Arajin steps in to protect Mahoro from being killed by Akutaro. And while fighting, he gains a major power boost from Senya as his merge rate increases as a result.

And once he defeats the NG Emperor, everyone's mood cheers up for the better and their relationships improve as a result. The rival gangs are more friendly with each other and are able to get along in spite of their rivalry that's lasted for years. Matakara gets to have a bonding moment with Arajin which is a huge step compared to how coldly he's been treated in the past. And Senya is super excited that the merge rate between him and Arajin has increased.

Everything and everyone is in better spirits now.

To bad it won't last for very long.

Episode 6: This episode does not feature an NNL segment.

Episode 7: A New Cat???

The customer is once again worried about whether he should enter NNL and is scared into coming in when Arajin rushes by due to being late for the Group Date.

The receptionist welcomes him into the establishment and asks if he wants his usual. But to his surprise, the customer has someone else in mind.

It's hard to say why exactly the customer decided to go for a new cat instead of Jasmine. Perhaps it's because he's become used to the NNL environment and is bold enough to try someone different.

But what strikes me fancy about this part is not so much the change in cat but the receptionist's reaction. All this time, we've seen him as a silly catboy who loves to tease the customer and rolls with him coming to see his precious Jasmine. But it's the change in cat that causes him to react this way. He loses his silly front and shows actual shock and maybe concern over such a drastic change. He doesn't even revert back to his playful self as it cuts straight to the customer meeting Pu'er-chan (Fun fact: Pu'er is a type of tea that's specially grown in China. And taking Jasmine into account, the cats at NNL are all named after Chinese tea flavors).

So he goes on with meeting the new cat even though he still has feelings for Jasmine. And he's greatly surprised to see Pu'er accept him with relative ease based on his elated reaction.

So to start, this segment is ripe with foreshadowing as it features the customer deciding to take a break from his old cat of interest and goes for a new cat. The customer changes his old cat for a new one. And who do we know who's interested in choosing someone new at the end of Episode 7?

"Do you know? Do you know? Do you know who he chooses?"

And mixed with the receptionist's reaction of shock and concern, the series itself has underwent a change in tone based on everything that happened in Episode 8. The comedy and jokes are significantly toned down in order focus on the more serious and heartbreaking elements of Matakara's brother being suddenly hospitalized and Arajin confessing that he was a coward all along which all leads up to Matakara falling into the palms of Ichiya, our presumed villain of the show.

Another things I want to mention/theorize is that when the customer brings up how he couldn't get Jasmine out of his head, that was a parallel to Ichiya being unable to get Senya out of his head. The two genies have a long, hidden but deep history with each other and it's implied that Senya did something to warrant his wrath. And given that Ichiya has a grudge in his heart that he intends to resolve, his goals in using Matakara are all but stated to be part of his masterplan of taking revenge against Senya.

And the last part with Pu'er fully embracing the customer will be foreshadowing of Matakara accepting Ichiya's proposal and power with minimal hesitation. With him at the brink of despair and with no one to turn to for emotional support (sorry Minato Kai boys), he'll be desperate and eager to follow Ichiya's will no matter how questionable or corrupt it may be. It isn't clear as to what type of wish Mataraka will make or what Ichiya will offer him to go along with his revenge, but the boy is clearly at his most vulnerable and weakest. He'll accept anything and fall into Ichiya's hands just to make the pain more bearable.

Conclusion

The Nyan Nyaight Love segments are meant to serve as a Greek Chorus for the Bucchigiri series. Paralleling the dynamics and conflicts between the main characters (Arajin, Matakara and Mahoro) while also providing foreshadowing for events to come. Much like the Shadow Play Girls and how they would parallel and foreshadow the main events in Utena. And under the assumption that we'll get more NNL segments, then the scenes with the customer and the receptionist will foretell more of what will happen throughout the show and the relationships between the characters.

And those are my thoughts on this nonsensical skit. What do you guys think? If you have your own interpretations for these segments or if there was something that you agreed or disagreed with, please feel free to reblog this and share your comments. It's worth mentioning that the plays that the Shadow Girls held had various ways of being interpreted so there's really no wrong way to go about this.

went on twitter and actually i think some ppl are slightly misunderstanding what matakara meant when he accused arajin of lying. like...it's true, arajin never lied to matakara about wanting to fight in the present, so it would be unreasonable to call him out on that specifically. but like

with the way the emphasis is placed on arajin's strength the whole argument, plus the cut to the flashback, matakara was asking if a) arajin's strength/bravery, and b) the promise made to him in the past, the foundation of their entire childhood friendship, were a lie. which, y'know, the promise wasn't, arajin definitely meant it at the time. but arajin doesn't want to admit that or outright deny it, so he deflects by saying it's not true anymore.

to me the focus of the argument was arajin forcing matakara to see him as he sees himself (ie. as a weak, selfish coward), shattering matakara's delusional idea of him in the process. arajin using senya to become strong isn't an inherently malicious lie, and i honestly don't think matakara thinks that either. to matakara the 'lie' is both the version of arajin he made up and the genuine things arajin told him in the past.

this week's episode was one that i've been looking forward to for a while, and while not perfect in execution, i still found it interesting, especially how it expanded on matakara and how his and arajin's fight played out.

arajin is a character that is guilty, that flees unless absolutely necessary not to, and would rather save face. he is a character that is meant to be unlikeable. contrast this with matakara, who is kind and considerate, helps his friends, and is willing to reach out, even if someone has hurt him. even their reasons for fighting could be pit against each other: arajin wants to fight to lose his virginity, and matakara wants to fight for his brother, arajin, and his friends.

the difference between arajin’s idealization of mahoro and matakara’s idealization of arajin is that, at the very least, you’re meant to make fun of/laugh at arajin- because you're not supposed to like him. matakara’s idealization of arajin is not put in a comedic light, because you're made to sympathize with him; you're meant to root for him. another example of a character who idealizing another person: mahoro. mahoro is self-aware she’s delusional. she’s self aware her brother doesn’t want her, and because she is so weird about him, her brother doesn’t open up to her as a result. but even mahoro (as much as i hate the brocon thing) can recognize it'll never happen. she still has her core values that don't stem from her brother.

arajin and matakara idealize people for two similar reasons. arajin is in love with the idea of mahoro, because she represents what is expected of arajin, a guy who wants to be un notable because he believes he can’t do more.

matakara idealizes arajin, because arajin represents the simpler, ideal life, the best life one can live as honki person, one that he strives toward. he idolizes arajin because he himself needs something to cling onto after his brother is gone.

matakara and arajin are two characters both stuck in the past. they both keep ideals from their childhood; because arajin couldn’t protect matakara, he believes he is weak and cannot do more than that on his own. matakara believes that since arajin wanted to become honkibito together, he would still want the same deep down and it’s him who’s weak.

matakara puts his faith in people, even if it hurts him. arajin doesn't put his faith in people, but he gets hurt because he doesn't trust anyone. both put their faith in different things because they don't trust themselves, so they let others dictate it for them. both are stubborn about their beliefs, yet fragile, and it hurts them when they are questioned so they double down on it.

arajin is an asshole, hell, he's a bad friend, but he never lied about his motives. matakara seeing their relationship through rose-tinted glasses and arajin being detached harms the both of them; it prevents their relationship from progressing any further.

arajin is *partially right, he is not is not what matakara thinks he is: the ideal matakara holds for himself and him. one of the key things that is first emphasized about honki people is that, "they don't run away." this is what arajin has been doing all this time. even then, arajin has not been tricking matakara in any capacity, because matakara has an idea of what arajin is, and clings to it for support.

*arajin didn’t lie back then about wanting to be honki people together, but since he believes he can’t do more for matakara (he’s used to running away) he avoids confrontation about it. matakara’s used these ideals as support so basically it’s like his beliefs were a lie

arajin is no longer the ideal that matakara saw in his childhood. now that matakara's ideals are shattered, he is vunerable to akutaro's & ichiya's manipulation.

i do think arajin and matakara are capable of being friends. however, they both need time and space to process their emotions. it’s shown that they can look out for each other, but one is overly committed (to an ideal version of the other) and the other is not. they need to find a middle ground to understand each other. i love their relationship because they're made out to be so different, yet they're so similar. i love how messy they both are, and i'm so excited to see how their relationship could possibly contrast ichiya/senya's. more importantly, i can't wait to see how their relationship develops/spirals from here.

out of context episode 8 spoiler

Well, first I wanted to say that I love your analyzes and thank you for always answering our questions. You know, I wanted to know when Arajin's redemption will be, let's go to episode 9 and with no redemption I see a comment on Instagram saying that it wouldn't be bad if at the end of the anime Matakara and Arajin are no longer friends I would love it because I want Matakara recognize that your best friend is zabu. what do you think?

Thanks! No problem it's fun :)

I don't think Arajin needs a redemption arc to be honest, it would be too predictable anyway and there are only 4 or 5 episodes left. Yeah he's annoying and all but he didn't do much, at least to the point that he needs redemption cause for me it's for characters who are truly horrible at the beginning, like he's not a bully, but Arajin is just dumb, in his own Shojo anime and fails to function as a normal human being (I still think he was too insensitive and crossed the lines in ep 8 but that's besides the point). Sure, his attitude affects others but he's not a horrible person, selfish yes, pathetic yes, not horrible. We know he has a good heart and pretends not to care. Matakara believes it too. He only wears a mask and that is why a lot of people still like him.

I made a post a while ago about how Arajin and Matakara were the same, but Matakara was written better and I still stand by it. There's a connection between the two, an obvious parallel. Matakara has this idealized version of Arajin like Arajin as one for Mahoro and they act the same in some ways. The difference is that Matakara actually grew up with Arajin, he didn't invent what he saw in his friend. They made a promise when they were younger and Arajin gave him a friendship stone. He was actually kind and caring, Matakara didn't imagine that, he lived it, so it makes sense that he thinks Arajin is still like that years later. His vision of him is not coming out of nowhere. He got attached to this Arajin who was truly himself, but he didn't see him grow. That's the disconnection.

From the moment Arajin ghosted Matakara and went on with his life, their bond was broken, only Matakara didn't realize it at first because Arajin was part of his dream of becoming Honkibito and one of the people who gave him strength. He thought the reason Arajin didn't talk to him anymore was because he wasn't strong enough. Arajin doesn't think he's strong enough as well, he wants validation (from Mahoro) and he flees from his fear of being weak. When Matakara lost his belief, he lost his identity too and that made him terrified. I think he knew from the beginning that something seemed off with Arajin, but he didn't want to believe it because that would mean he's alone and his beliefs and dream would be gone. Who will he be without it? So I don't think that Mata is completely fooled by Arajin but mostly he's scared because if his role model is not who he thought he was, he has no hope left. Matakara needed this realization to let go of Arajin.

What I mean by all of this is that the same thing is going to happen to Arajin. It's not necessarily redemption he needs but the same realization Matakara had in episode 8. He needs to break out of the spell and accept the true Mahoro so he can let go of her too.

Both characters are going to come face to face with the truth, with reality, and either they're going to bond again over this or they're going to be their own person without each other and find peace. But I think with this parallelism, they also seem to be made for each other like they're one piece of each other if that makes sense? The universe (aka Utsumi) wants them together (as friends or allies, enemies, whatever defines them.)

They're not going to change completely, especially Arajin, but I can see them accepting who they are in the end. Their perspectives on each other are going to change, their views, their beliefs, but not their true identity. In the 1001 nights tale, and notably in the Disney movie "Aladdin", Jasmine and Aladdin hide their true identities. Aladdin pretends to be a prince to get Jasmine's attention and marry her. She met him before but doesn't recognize him. It's only at the end that Ali Ababwa disappears, his mask is gone and his true self is revealed to her. Meanwhile, she hides that she's a princess and dresses as a "commoner" so she can see the world. Shit keeps happening to them when they're not true to themselves just like Aladdin and Jasmine.

So yeah, I guess just like those characters they're going to be free from themselves and it's going to free Senya and Ichiya as well because they're trapped in their bodies. Senya thinks that he needs to merge with Arajin to see Ichiya again but the only way I think is for them to be themselves without Arajin and Matakara. It's interesting that the moment they are both linked to Senya and Ichiya was a moment where they were running away from fear, the genies came when they were hopeless, so I think there's this idea that they can't be themselves if the genies are still possessing them and using them. But if they overcome their fears, they will get their bodies back, more exactly their mind and heart 👀.

Moreover, in the original Aladdin story, "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" which apparently takes place in China 👀, Aladdin is not perceived as a pure-hearted hero. He wants the princess but he's not interested in her personality or her feelings, so just like Arajin he's a flawed hero who gets what he wishes for...

So no, I don't expect a redemption for Arajin, especially with the tone of the show. Not because he's bad and he'll stay bad, but mostly because he's not the villain of the story, just a reflection of humanity. His character was intended to be like that and to be his true self he needs to let go of his fear, that's the only thing i can see for him. The real question is will his wish come true? He's supposed to get what he wants, get the girl. If it doesn't happen then something else waits for him and I really want to see what the resolution will be. I don't think that in the end Arajin and Matakara no longer being friends will be the answer, it's more than that. Although I imagined there is going to be a reconnection whether they're back being friends or not.

You know what? Maybe we were fooled as viewers. Matakara is actually Aladdin but with Jasmine's personality and Arajin is his Jasmine with Aladdin's personality. But because of their names we thought it was the other way around. Like one of his closest friends is literally Zabu= Abu. It's different than the original story but their dynamic is kinda the same. Idk, I can see it. They're interchangeable. But yeah, Aladdin gets what he wants, so all is going to end well for Arajin, but we have yet to see what will be Matakara's wish...

bucchigiri ep 8 thoughts (a.k.a. the drama-loving bitch inside me finally gets fed):

marito <- mahoro (can't take a hint) <- arajin (even worse at taking a hint) <- matakara (the worst at taking a hint)

ope well ara is back to being a dick to matakara

okay he's being a liiiiiiittle nice

matakara asking all the people in his life to attend is very sweet

i wonder if he asked ara to host because that's the only way he'd get ara to attend? hmm

kenichiro's little smile 😭

not senya proposing lmao

eh shindo seems a little too sincere. trying to trick matakara? is ichiya making him get close so he can merge with matakara?

oh yeah definitely lol

i need this show to give me more than a static shot of ichiya cause his outfit slays

the animation on the gyoza-making is beautiful

also really nice to see something that arajin is good at that isn't given to him by magic. also nice to see him in a moment where he isn't the butt of the joke about how sad and horny he is

the colors got all desaturated... i'm a bit scared for what is going to go wrong with this party

does kenichiro own any other coat

did he die??? get jumped????

zabu and komao are real ones

hell yeah zabu go off

eat your goddamn guilt gyoza arajin

is ichiya gonna get him when he's weak hearted, like as implied in the first scene?

matakara even during a crisis you are still so gay. arajin is literally just a guy you need to prioritize yourself sweetie

i want matakara to go absolutely apeshit he deserves it

matakara your childhood friend who weighs 100 lbs soaking wet showed up one day with the power of a god and you never considered maybe he might be getting a little outside help

so is a big theme of this show about the dangers of idolization maybe? matakara believes in arajin to an unhealthy extent which only hurts him when he finds out he's nothing like how he imagines. ara is constantly hurt by mahoro failing to be the moe-blob gf of his dreams. mahoro is hurt when her brother doesn't return her affection. we're dealing with a lot of one-sided relationships here

i'm glad ara is finally being genuine and telling the truth

also maybe dealing with how idolization hurts the ones we idolize?

matakara :(

damn matakara is getting possessed by senya's evil gay ex. brainwashed by the homosexual agenda.

ICHIYA IS STUNNING oml

that was a really great episode! i wish we had gotten to this point earlier in the season though. i hope we keep up this more serious tone until the end. it's nice to finally get some real emotional catharsis. probably my fav episode of the season so far. i'm very excited to learn about senya and ichiya's falling out.

( ´; _ ;`)ง 💦💦

ohohohojshkjfhjkshfk *runs into an electric fence*

mulled it over for a while and ultimately decided i'm really digging this arajin-matakara fight, because like

the whole series has set up arajin as a piece of shit fuckhead (and i LOVE that for him) but this whole lying to matakara about wanting to be a honki people thing... is like the one thing he did not actually do

i get real rambly under the cut but tl;dr the way matakara treats arajin is the way arajin treats mahoro and that is suuuch a juicy parallel to me

throughout the whole series arajin has been not at all subtly trying to get away from these fights

could he have been more direct about that with matakara? sure maybe! but matakara was really ignoring all the signs that arajin is not who he thinks he is

which is such a delicious parallel to how arajin willfully ignores all the signs that mahoro is not into him

like. matakara built this version of arajin up in his head, with all these unreasonable, unrealistic, and honestly unfair? expectations based off some past foolishness from when they were very small children. he's clinging to this version of arajin that only exists in his head and has basically shown zero evidence of existing in real life

(yes arajin shows crumbs of courage but i think the scales are tipped pretty heavily towards his I DO NOT WANT ANY PART OF THIS moments)

this fight between them was like if arajin were to blow up at mahoro like "you've been leading me on this whole time!" when obviously. lol. no she has not

she did initially! just like tiny arajin as a child had those honki people ambitions! his ambitions may have been genuine, while mahoro feigned interest in him with malicious intent, but they're same in the sense that after that initial story beat, they have consistently demonstrated that actually no what happened back then no longer applies (whether because they grew out of it, in arajin's case, or they were faking interest in the first place, in mahoro's case)

but arajin is blinded by what he wants (mahoro) and ignores the reality of mahoro snubbing him at every turn, and matakara does the same, ignoring the reality of arajin really just... being extremely reluctant to have anything at all to do with him

anyway that's the main thing i'm chewing on and loving here, but ALSO i think the story paints this parallel in such an interesting way because like

matakara is just a big sweet ouppy dog of a boy! it's so so so easy to feel sorry for him, to root for him, to think the best of him. which i still do btw, in fact this episode made me like him more than i already did

because matakara is so uwu angelboy perfect, and arajin is such a dickhead, it's easy to instinctively think oh matakara must be completely right to be hurt and arajin must have hurt him. even if that isn't the case! this doesn't make arajin any less of a dickhead, but he's a dickhead mainly for other reasons

the fact that they've been set up as the perfect epitome of the Pure Boy and the Pervy Boy tropes is just such clever framing for this parallel between them, because i imagine a lot of viewers, if told what mataakara is doing to arajin is what arajin is doing to mahoro, would be like omg wtf no my pure angel baby is nothing like that disgusting freak?

except in this case! he literally is!! which is brilliant!!! i think it adds nuance to both matakara's character and arajin's character at the same time, making it so it's not just one of them is Perfect and one of them is Wrong All The Time

what's even better is that this made sense for matakara, like his reaction breaks him out of the Pure Angel mold but doesn't feel out of character. his emotions are already running high with what happened to his brother, plus akutaro is malewife mansplain manipulating him behind the scenes, so of course he feels like he's driven towards this emotional high that leads to this blowup

the groundwork was already laid out, and it wasn't even subtle. it was right on the surface! but this episode really highlighted how matakara's way of treating arajin is so much like arajin's way of treating mahoro and how inevitable it was that things would reach this point

(there are moments, even in this episode, that are in hindsight so clearly setting up this parallel! like arajin trying to talk to mahoro during lunch, mahoro CLEARLY not interested, making viewers think ugh arajin get a clue. then matakara often IMMEDIATELY coming in to try to talk to arajin, when arajin is the one who clearly isn't interested, making viewers think boo arajin be nicer to him! like i think the show deliberately set the audience up to have those emotional reactions, and this is the moment where the rug is pulled out from under us, so to speak, where it becomes even more obvious that... wait... double standard much?)

anyway. personally my only gripe with this episode is i wished they'd done more with aniki than just pseudo-fridge him, and hope they do still do more with him in the coming eps? but kind of understandable if they don't, because it is just a one-cour show after all

the actual blowup between arajin and matakara was just. mawh, chef's kiss. perfect

matakara and his idealisation reminds me of pygmalion ????? where he builds a perfect, rose-shaded vision of arajin that is put so high up on his Pedestal. when that vision is essentially challenged by arajin himself, who is “given life” (a chance to honor the truth) and becomes human, therefore Flawed by extent, matakara is shattered and rejects him. and his love is then made conditional.

arajin is silly, yet hes never paraded himself as anything but. matakara is the sillier one for fooling himself :(

Thoughts after ep 8 of Bucchigiri?!

Maybe spoiler-ish, mostly about Matakara and Arajin

Like i get what Matakara is literally the sweetest boy that we need to protect at all costs, but there is a reason he has to grow as a character too, because, yeah, he's the nicest person, but nice people like can get themselves in trouble very easily (him getting close to Shindo, as every viewer screams internally for him to run out of there, for example), so in order to continue to be a nice living human, a person has to be selfish too, a person has to build boundaries and try to see things as they are. And in order to be brave you have to be afraid of something and then still decide to face your fears. It's not about not having flaws but about living with them and managing the horrors in your live and trusting yourself to overcome bad stuff, to maybe fall and then gather yourself and only then rise back again. And Arajin is obviously the silliest guy with zero communication skills sometimes, but well, at least he knows his limits and what he does and doesn't want. But he has the guts to be honest even though he's scared of disappointing the person that looks up to him and also too scared to face his weakness and his past, and he still doesn't choose the easiest way out which is lying to the person who will believe anything he says. Because he obviously cares, and in his own way he still tries to protect his childhood friend with his own two weak hands be it simply supporting him after fights, shouting nonsense to distract his opponent or helping with a party. That's not much, but that's still an effort, because it's easier to cut off the person you wronged before from your life and then make up some excuse to justify your behavior, than to face guilt and regret every day and still care. They're very similar in many ways and very different in others, they have different ideals and goals, but they make the same mistakes, and i love this, this makes their connection that interesting, and it makes me want them to ultimately resolve their issues and become the bestest buddies ever cause it seems possible. Their relationship will benefit from personal growth, and their personal growth relies on their relationship. They both could learn from each other and they both need more self awareness and confidence. I like how the plot just collides everyone's delusions, insecurities and conflicting motives, not giving a universal answer to all problems, instead it shows how this doesn't work, but people still can be together and do cool stuff and have fun even with all their differences, as shown in two previous episodes especially. I'm invested into relationships between each member of this ridiculous cast more and more each episode

a study in grief // (i love Shapes)

it's interesting how despite her freakiness, mahoro isn't on the same level of delusional as arajin or matakara. arajin and matakara keep chasing the object of their affection (mahoro for arajin, arajin for matakara) to fuel their own coping mechanisms, and in the process they start to build up a version of them that only exists in their heads. meanwhile, mahoro fangirls over marito and chases after him, sure, but she knows that he won't listen to her and leaves when she knows he doesn't want her there. i think she's self-aware to an extent because mahoro knows what kind of person marito truly is. i hope next episode arajin finally realises that he and matakara are wearing the same hat and does something about it.

Talking more on the theme of delusion, Matakara relies on it as an escape from his sensitive emotional nature. Since childhood he's been susceptable to these dark thoughts, which his brother (and presumably kid Arajin) helped him deal with. Now, without his brother, the ideal of Arajin he cultivated since childhood, the one who believed in becoming a Honki person with him, is the main thing able to distract him from his painful reality. He was writing a letter to his brother the first time one of the shadows appeared in the series and he proceeded to pick up the stone stamp in order to calm himself. After Arajin rebuffed him when he asked him to call off the gang war, other shadows appeared and he needed to rely on the connection with his brother in order to find strength and later appeal to Mahoro. As he is now, he needs some kind of ideal or delusion to be able to keep functioning.

Talking more on the theme of delusion, Matakara relies on it as an escape from his sensitive emotional nature. Since childhood he's been susceptable to these dark thoughts, which his brother (and presumably kid Arajin) helped him deal with. Now, without his brother, the ideal of Arajin he cultivated since childhood, the one who believed in becoming a Honki person with him, is the main thing able to distract him from his painful reality. He was writing a letter to his brother the first time one of the shadows appeared in the series and he proceeded to pick up the stone stamp in order to calm himself. After Arajin rebuffed him when he asked him to call off the gang war, other shadows appeared and he needed to rely on the connection with his brother in order to find strength and later appeal to Mahoro. As he is now, he needs some kind of ideal or delusion to be able to keep functioning.

I really enjoyed the character stuff in the most recent Bucchigiri?! episode. It gave me a lot of things to think on. Currently, I don't really feel the need to judge the morality of certain actions, just their sources and consequences. Like Arajin is acting cruelly and selfishly but I can see the reasons why. He doesn't feel like he's worthy of supporting Matakara through this difficult period because Matakara is relying on a version of Arajin that doesn't exist. He can't give him what he wants or needs. Arajin could make an effort to support him, but he's so used to fleeing from conflict that he doesn't know how. This isn't to give him a free pass on his bullshit, it's just that the way he hurt Matakara is a reflection on how he feels about his own weakness. It's a form of character conflict that's interesting to think about.

thinking… senya’s pin(???) is in arajin’s head yet both arajin and senya are more emotional… while ichiya’s pin is by matakara’s heart despite ichiya seeming more calculating… what are they cooking 🤔

blue....what are the odds he uses this for a new best friend stone for matakara later on

ITS MAHOROVER

Matakara sees his beloved Ara-chan sleeping soundly in his bed and his face relaxes into a smile.... bro you are never beating the BL Manga Protagonist Allegations

aaaaaaahh the differences between Arajin's lunch and Matakara's lunch.....

Arajin is eating a bento that his mother cooked (with LOVE), you can see noodles, meat and vegetables in it (it's a nutritious, healthy lunch)

Matakara is eating something he bought at a supermarket for more or less 1000 yen, there's mainly rice and meat in there (it can fill his stomach but it's not really "healthy")

Despite eating delicious homecooked food everyday, Arajin has been terrible to his mother (yelling at her, calling her "old hag" etc)

Despite having cheap food for lunch, Matakara doesn't complain or act rude to his loved ones

"Then why don't you teach him?"

"Huh?"

"Aren't you going to live together again?"

"Yeah! When I save up enough money, we'll rent an apartment together! When we do, you've gotta come over!"

"I'm going to busy with Mahoro-chan, so no way."

"Then bring Jin-san with you!" "Not a chance!"

I have so, so many thoughts on today's episode. all i can say is this- they cooked in more ways than one. expect some posts on rambles and theories i have soon, one of which is definitely an analysis on the fight between matakara and arajin, because that stood out as a pivotal moment to me.

i... i couldnt even liveblog anything from that second half im speechless...

holy shit, bucchigiri, why did you take so long to be THIS FUCKING GOOD???