Sofie > Recent Status Updates

(cont.)

they’re both stubborn and quick to act and steadfast in their beliefs, and so they both shine as individual characters instead of one totally drowning the other. and when they do manage to work together???? they’re unstoppable

this is a great example of why noé is such a fantastic main character bc a lesser author would have him get swallowed up by the force that is vanitas, but mochizuki refuses to let him sit idly by or be passive if it goes against his motivations or morals. noé pushes back CONSTANTLY and that’s exactly what makes him the perfect foil to vanitas. (cont.)

this repeated/mirrored joke of “stop making that face” is hilarious first of all but also!!!!!! noé is in a constant state of wanting to understand vanitas, which frustrates vanitas, while vanitas is in a constant state of resisting that understanding and putting on an apathetic act to hide his pain, which frustrates noé. even the stupidest of gags in this story are rich with character it’s truly remarkable

(cont.)

both are maladaptive coping mechanisms, both can only grow through coming to truly understand (and love) the other

and this is the big difference between noé and vanitas and why their developing relationship and journey to understanding one another MUST be the crux of this entire series. noé sees the good in everyone, human or vampire or dham, until proven otherwise. meanwhile, vanitas sees the worst in everyone until proven otherwise (and sometimes even then) (cont.)

LOVE the difference in their poses here. noé is leaning slightly forward like he wants to step even closer to vanitas, which aligns with how he’s pressing for more info to try to understand him better. while vanitas is perfectly straight-backed and still, his mouth a thin line. calculated aloofness, just like his words as he speaks about hating humans and vampire equally

it’s striking that the panels underneath vanitas’ dialogue about his past are just black rectangles. like there should be images there but they’ve been redacted. even though he’s opening up a bit to noé here, he’s not doing it in a way that allows noé or us to actually picture any of it. it’s his classic way of revealing info: absolute bare minimum, impersonal, and purposefully devoid of sentiment

this “gearing up” sequence ending with vanitas ripping off the cross necklace is SO GOOD in context with the bow theory. he’s creating his costume, donning his armor, and with that, he decides that the necklace is one element of the chasseur costume that he is not willing to inhabit. ripping it off is another way for him to exert ownership over the costume, and power over this very traumatic setting and outfit

(cont.)

it’s also not lost on me that this is how we’re starting the volume whose cover portrays jeanne being tied and led around by a bow……one that vanitas is clearly holding off page……..so i’d say the bows are significant!!!! they def represent his need for control and how that extends to his appearance and image as well as his relationship with jeanne

(cont.)

a bow makes every outfit of his more like a costume, one that he had a hand in creating himself, meticulously and purposefully. inwardly, it’s yet another desperate reach for control, and outwardly, it’s a way to signal to potential threats that he’s put together and above it all. he ties a bow in the same sequence as he takes his weapons out. it’s armor

on today’s episode of “sof reads into everything even the tiniest quirks that could just be there for comedic purposes”: why does vanitas NEED to tie a bow when he’s reconfiguring his chasseur outfit? why does he seem to like bows at all? they take extra care and effort to create, much like vanitas’ entire image. the theatrics that he leans upon so heavily to make himself feel in control of his life (cont.)

it’s that time yet again, continuing reread number 3??? i think???

i really don't think i have the capacity to give this the attention it deserves rn. i have annotated too close to the sun yet again and made it impossible for myself to really look at the bigger picture!! i'll pick it up again when i'm feeling less scattered and can really focus and maybe NOT ANNOTATE

hey suo i’m gonna be honest this sounds like you’ve tortured people before

okay hold ON kiryu definitely overheard them talking in the classroom so he purposefully took this girl here bc he KNEW this is where they’d be and he might need backup. right??? kiryu is so interesting i cannot get a read on him at all. i wonder when we’ll get his backstory bc i know it’s not anytime soon unfortunately

giggling and kicking my damn feet i love the furin trio so fucking much
suo is a professional rage baiter and sakura is an emotional wreck so it works every time. and poor nirei is in the middle trying to keep everything together

i appreciate that this story takes the time to let these post-fight/arc conversations breathe instead of just rushing to the next thing. crazy that it’s only been TWO DAYS but i love this theme of enduring hope for connection. sakura thinks he’s given up on understanding and being understood but everything he’s said and done has directly contradicted that. he wants to have community!!!! hope is a stubborn one

what a stunning button on this arc holy shit???????????? togame missed choji so fucking much my heart has grown three sizes

“it’s because what makes you so happy has always been by your side, like it’s natural” and then not only do we cut to togame sitting next to choji but CHOJI HIMSELF TURNS TO LOOK AT TOGAME
like just in case we missed the Subtext the last 17 times

i am side-eyeing suo so fucking hard bc i noticed in the anime that he rarely eats………wtf is that all about

okay and here come the tears WOW
so it got even gayer yeah lemme caress your face bc i’m finally looking at you and your pain for the first time in years and let’s both apologize and cry bc we were both suffering for the sake of the other but couldn’t bring ourselves to actually See how much damage that was really doing bc that would’ve destroyed us to realize……….platonically

if anyone dares to tell me that choji and togame aren’t deeply in love i will fight
like this is satosugu levels of canon and actually the arc is kind of similar at a base level…..if only someone could’ve headbutted suguru out of being a cult leader yknow

(cont.)
and bc he was now “the top” and felt like he didn’t have the right to show any weakness, he stamped all that loneliness and sadness and fear down and built a cage around himself. he became his worst nightmare, the exact opposite of the freedom he desired so fiercely. and he just kept pushing everyone away and stagnating in excitement that was now hollow

experiencing this story for the second time in manga format is really making me think more deeply about what exactly choji has been feeling. i think maybe when he got to the top he became disillusioned with it almost immediately bc he had nothing else to strive for. he suddenly had the weight of responsibility on his shoulders and it made him feel so separate from the friends he’d made by originally joining (cont.)

the bite is SO GOOD he’s desperate and rabid and terrified and that action is the perfect symbol for him hitting rock bottom and truly becoming the caged animal that all the shishitoren imagery has been evoking throughout this arc

choji’s absolutely heartbreaking internal struggle is such a great introductory antagonist arc for the series. if you get to the top and gain power but lose sight of the community around you, you’ll end up all alone. but lonely and powerful is a dangerous combo, as evidenced by choji’s apathetic, volatile, unstable actions and fighting style. so well done

the matter-of-fact and a bit teasing yet still supportive way that this omniscient narrator speaks about nakamura gives this manga such a unique tone, i really love it. somehow it also matches the 90s art style perfectly

okay so this is one of the things that was omitted from the anime and i understand why aksdhkajdh not bc it's unrealistic for a teenage boy to fantasize about that stuff but bc it's perhaps a bit too early on??? we barely know nakamura or hirose yet, maybe let's garner a bit more understanding before jumping into the tentacle fantasies yknow. it also calls into question his feelings about his pet octopus.......

this anime floored me in its hilariously absurd but deeply poignant take on a modern gay high school romcom, and i've heard that the manga is.....Different but i am intrigued nonetheless. if it hits even half as hard as the anime did then i'll be thrilled

mogari immediately jumping to action when he sees eugene’s glasses MMMHMMMMM i love when the boys get protective over each other