Sofie > Recent Status Updates

when i was watching the anime i was already pretty invested up until this point, but i remember that it was THIS fight and this moment of clarity and understanding between togame and sakura that really got me hooked. and it's just as effective in the manga

togame braiding his hair, putting on sunglasses, and trading in his casual flip flops for the more traditional (and brutal) wooden ones is all fantastic symbolism for how he's chosen to become the moon to choji's sun. but all he's actually doing is standing still, just biding his time in the shade and waiting for the sun to come back out all on its own. looking directly at the sun and its pain would hurt too bad

starting this chapter with choji's eyes and how CLEAR and BRIGHT they used to be is just fantastic. and then further showcasing how his eccentric and bubbly personality used to manifest back when he was happy. it's such a stark contrast to how that personality just sits on top of hollowness now. also togame so earnestly calling him the sun????? they're so tragic and gay and no one can convince me otherwise

i really hope we get to see sako again and not just bc he's voiced by chiaki kobayashi

suo really said i’m gonna teach this coward a lesson and i’m gonna do it in the cuntiest way possible. AND i’ll do it with tassel earrings on

so sakura is just casually bringing out the best and most emotional in suo and all sakura can think about in turn is how he can get suo to take him seriously in a fight…….casually of course

suo ragging on kanuma’s immaturity and seeming almost ageless himself is reminding me so much of zeno. that paired with the kindness and the constant smiles and the emotional intelligence but also the icy wisdom and potential ruthlessness

okay so i am admitting in this very moment that i’m a basic bitch and suo is my favorite character so far. fucking sue me. i just love mysterious, incredibly perceptive and emotionally intelligent characters who have the capacity for great cruelty but choose to be kind most of the time. his design is also sick. AND he’s voiced by mahito’s va so really i stood no chance

so that’s…….intimate! and gay it’s definitely gay

again, the context of how this all ends really makes moments like these hit extra hard. togame looking so empty when arima loses bc he knows that it means he’s gonna have to step up and be the monster to compensate for how unhinged choji’s acting. and umemiya clocking ALL OF IT

if a shonen doesn’t approach all of its fight scenes with this ethos then i generally want nothing to do with it. i like that the narrative of this manga allows for a very direct discussion with that element of the genre

oh my heart aches at how clearly togame cares about and worries for choji but feels like he has to shroud it in this overly apathetic badass speak

having already watched season 1 and knowing how choji’s story plays out, umemiya striking at the core of it IMMEDIATELY hits extra hard. he’s not a pushover but he is so deeply empathetic. but choji won’t even begin to hear it until they’re in the middle of a fight

they better not be teasing a beach episode just for the meme I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT

i saw someone point out how everyone raises their heads when they hear umemiya talking on the loud speaker, but suo lowers his instead. does that say more about his feelings towards umemiya or his feelings towards himself? i have no idea but i am Noticing and saving for later

from the moment he’s introduced, suo offers absolutely no information about himself. he simply allows nirei to fire off the rumors and “facts” that he’s collected and then just goes with them. it’s gonna take probably 2 dozen volumes but i am so intrigued to find out what his deal is

i love that the first glimpse we get of furin is a lush tree lined entrance. and then when we get the big reveal it’s also covered in vines all snaking up to the massive tree on the roof that has the sunlight filtering through its leaves. absolutely gorgeous imagery that is so evocative of the ideals of bofurin. wind breakers are trees that protect smaller crops right?

i think this lesson from kotoha is the thesis statement of this manga. or at least one of the main ones. the idea that connection through communication and not judging a book by its cover can truly set someone free and make them the strongest, most fulfilled version of themself

sakura’s expression here after he instinctively yells at the old lady for trying to patch up his ankle is so telling. he’s much more conflicted and uncomfortable and scared than actually hostile. all the feral cat comparisons are so accurate

sometimes when life gets you down you need french vampires to pick you back up. other times you need delinquents with hearts of gold and non toxic masculinity

“he wants to use me as a shield but he doesn’t want me to shield him of my own accord?” well yes! vanitas is all about control, he can’t STAND feeling vulnerable or weak or not having at least the illusion of power in any given situation. plus, if noé protects him out of the blue like that, it means something more than noé simply following orders. the potential for true partnership and care and TRUST

noé yelling at vanitas for not being straightforward with his explanations is such a great way to transition into this next section of their arc as noé struggles to understand the ways in which vanitas navigates his trauma and how it prevents him from being open and honest. he metes out information VERY intentionally and sparingly but noé likes details, he needs context in order to fully understand something

i adore the repetition of “do as you like” as vanitas’ way of choosing to accept noé’s help that shrouds it in false passivity. as if he’s just letting noé do what he wants and has no power to refuse when we know damn well what vanitas is capable of. somewhere deep down he’s relieved to not be alone as he embarks on what he can assume will be an incredibly traumatic mission

like he’s completely disengaged with the argument between the dhams that is ABOUT HIM and riche being so charmed by him and is instead only looking at vanitas. which could mean nothing of course
noé is naive and a bit oblivious yes but the way he always actively seeks to understand and engage with vanitas while he lets things like this completely fall to wayside is just very interesting to me

it is endlessly hilarious to me how obvious it is that everyone wants noé but noé himself only wants vanitas (despite being oblivious to this)

the first three traits that vanitas names when noé asks why he likes jeanne are toughness, beauty, and clumsiness...... i wonder who else has those traits.......
moving away from the vanoé of it all, i find it interesting that he points to both toughness AND fragility as attractive features of jeanne. maybe he really does see her as a more complex person than he lets on

domi desperately trying to get noé to see her and understand her feelings (which i'd argue she doesn't even understand) by forcing the interaction to become more intimate, which noé obliges. but it's clear that the blood drinking isn't as emotionally/sexually charged for him as it may be for her. all he can reassure her about is that her blood is still delicious. he thirsts for vanitas, but he could never abandon her

following that line of thought of protection, it could also be a message for noé specifically. vanitas now knows that he's an archiviste and so it would be his worst nightmare to have noé drink from him. maybe another reason for showing the mark in front of everyone is to make sure that there's an extra barrier preventing noé from even asking to drink from him?

it's only on this reread that i'm considering another potential motivation for vanitas flaunting jeanne's mark so blatantly: protection. if he runs into another vampire that wants to drink from him and they see that he has a mark of possession from the hellfire witch, it might scare them off? regardless though i doubt vanitas is thrilled about being marked yet again and needs to take control of it however he can

and vanitas' second condition really hits all of that home imo. moreau only ever referred to him by his test subject number, and jeanne just calls him "human", so this deal with her and his condition that she call him by his name is definitely a sneaky way for him to try to regain some control over past trauma using jeanne as a vehicle. ironically, he's dehumanizing her even more than she's dehumanizing him