So, I just discovered something that, while not necessarily making Arajin a good character, at least made me change my perspective on him a bit.
I was curious about that mark on Arajin's back and why they decided to place it in that specific location. Right off the bat, I recalled the concept of Chakra points, and after doing some research, I found that, according to belief, there is indeed a Chakra point located at the base of the spine. This is a complex topic so I'm gonna summarize the important stuff and leave out information that I deem irrelevant to this conversation, but this will still be a long text.
The Chakra is called Svadhishthana, or the second Chakra, and it is associated with sexuality, pleasure, desires, and emotions. It is also responsible for the urinary, digestive, and reproductive systems. It's located in the back, on the base of the spine and in the front, below the belly buttom. It is commonly represented by a six-petaled lotus flower and by the color orange. Arajin's mark, while not identical, shares some characteristics with this symbol.
When this Chakra is unbalanced, individuals may exhibit psychological and emotional disorders such as an incessant pursuit of sexual pleasure, low emotional intelligence, apathy, insecurity, neediness, and emotional dependence, among others.
This is a quick summary of the most relevant information; the topic is much more extensive. However, from this information, we can perceive some correlations with the work, especially with Arajin's actions.
As seen in the anime, to merge with Senya, Arajin needs to declare his greatest desire. Svadhishthana, as mentioned earlier, is associated with desires, not just sexual ones. So, it makes sense that this Chakra point is crucial for the fusion. Arajin having Svadhishthana unbalanced may be the cause of the lack of synchronization between the two.
The emotional symptoms of an unbalanced Svadhishthana are also found in Arajin's behavior. He is constantly driven by his sexual desires, evident when he declares that his current greatest desire is to "lose his virginity." This desperate pursuit for momentary pleasure makes him emotionally dependent on Mahoro and that makes him easily manipulable. His aggressive and arrogant demeanor towards his mother and Matakara, as well as his exaggerated insecurity, reflects his low emotional intelligence.
Being responsible for the digestive system, other signs of an unbalanced Svadhishthana include gastrointestinal disorders like Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is another symptom frequently observed in Arajin, who rushes to the bathroom when nervous or anxious.
Disturbances in the chakras can be caused by various factors, and trauma is one of them. We don't have enough information to say what happened between Arajin and Matakara when they were children, but I imagine that this trauma caused the unbalance, leading Arajin to become who he is today.
I believe many misunderstood the scene where he protects Mahoro at the end of episode 6. At first glance, it seems like he ignored his friend being beaten and only moved when the girl was in danger. However, in my view, what prompted him to move was her words. When she says, "You don't even know who you are unless others tell you. You're just an empty shell, a nobody," even though the words weren't directed at him, Arajin realizes his current state, allowing him, for a brief moment, to regain balance and rise, achieving a high level of synchronization with Senya, enabling him to defeat Shindo. At the end of the fight, he is no longer the same Arajin as before. Although he hasn't fully restored balance, this was the first significant step. This is evident in his interaction with Matakara, where he appears slightly less arrogant and a little more kind and open.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this doesn't necessarily make Arajin a good character, but it shows that there is a reason behind his actions. He's not just an annoying character with exaggerated traits for comedic effect. These negative characteristics result from trauma that affects him to this day, turning him into the person we see in the anime. The unbalance in Svadhishthana seems to be the obstacle hindering synchronization between Arajin and Senya. Therefore, he will have to overcome his trauma and restore emotional balance to reach his true potential. As this happens, we'll see a gradual change in Arajin's behavior, gradually becoming a better and more likable person/character.
Edit:
Just watched episode 7, and this episode made me more confident in my theory. Despite Arajin still maintaining some negative traits, it was noticeable in this episode that he was much less aggressive towards Matakara, indicating a clear evolution since the fight against Shindo. This becomes evident when he tells Senya that he "feels more like a man," acknowledging his own change from before.
Now this is purely speculative on my part, but I believe the teacher gag reflects Arajin's evolution. His constant request for Jasmine-chan symbolizes how Arajin refuses to change. But in this episode, the teacher asks for Pu'er-chan, although stating that still thinks about Jasmine-chan, wich reflects how Arajin has started to change, beginning to walk a different path, although he hasn't completely abandoned his former self yet
Edit 2:
So, with some new information from this recent episodes and a bit more research on Chakras I can complement my theory with a bit more information to support it.
This part of the theory will focus more on Matakara and Ichiya.
Firstly, the blue color, predominant in the color palette of both Ichiya and Matakara, is associated with the Fifth Chakra, Vishuddha. This Chakra is related to purity, self-expression, honesty (with oneself and others), authenticity, understanding, compassion, receptivity, etc.
When imbalanced, individuals may exhibit aggression, difficulty in expressing themselves, greed, negativity, foolishness, pride, feelings of superiority, discontentment, among others.
Imbalance in Vishuddha is primarily caused by acting and living out of alignment with one's truth and principles.
Here we have the opposite of Arajin's development happening with Matakara, who, at the beginning of the anime, shows signs of a balanced Vishuddha, always being honest, expressive, compassionate, determined, and true to himself and his ideals.
Upon discovering the truth about Arajin, he begins to doubt his ideals and his truth, which, along with Ichiya's manipulation, leads him astray from the path he always thought was right, causing imbalance in the Chakra and transforming him into the character we see in the later episodes.
Similar to Senya's mark on Arajin, Ichiya's mark has some characteristics related to the visual representations of Vishuddha, although not an exact representation. In many interpretations, the Moon, wich is the main element in Ichiyas mark, is one of the elements that compose the visual representation of this Chakra.
Vishuddha Chakra is located in the throat, but as we saw in the episode 11, Ichiya's mark is located on Matakara's right leg, on the calf. Although the seven main Chakras are located along the spinal column, there are also seven Chakras called Lower Chakras (also known as Talas or Patalas), located along the leg. While the Upper Chakras are associated with positive aspects of human consciousness, the Lower Chakras are related to more instinctual and animalistic nature. Thus, by directing energy to the Lower Chakras, the individual begins to exhibit negative and destructive characteristics.
The calf houses the Talatala Chakra, commonly associated with disillusionment and mental confusion, causing the individual to exhibit negative attitudes such as inflexibility, greed, stubbornness, and selfishness, pushing people away and focusing only on oneself and one's own ambitions.
In the later episodes, these characteristics become evident in Matakara's actions, as he becomes an inflexible and selfish person, driven only by his desire to defeat Arajin, regardless of who may get hurt along the way.
I'm not sure how the two Chakras might relate, but I believe that for Ichiya to take control of Matakara's body, it makes more sense that disrupting Matakara's Chakra facilitates this process.
Thus, by stimulating Talatala, Ichiya caused Matakara to distance himself from his 'true self' and his ideals, causing the imbalance he needs in Matakara's Vishuddha Chakra, but this part is more of my speculation.
It was much more difficult to find information about the Lower Chakras, so if anyone knows more about the subject, feel free to add some information or correct me.
How much time did you spend on the research? It makes a lot of sense cause it clearly answers every little detail, especially Arajin's "bowel issues". What an excellent post mate!
Sheesh this is a good post, well done with the research π
@jigjetty Thanks! At first I was just curious about that mark, I didn't expect to do such an extensive research, but when I started to see the correlations I got carried away
How much time did you spend on the research? It makes a lot of sense cause it clearly answers every little detail, especially Arajin's "bowel issues". What an excellent post mate!
@Nabiot Thanks! I didn't spent much time really, about 2-3 hours reading about it and trying to find correlations and after that about 2 hours to organize the info in a way that make some sense
CarlosRock said: @Nabiot Thanks! I didn't spent much time really, about 2-3 hours reading about it and trying to find correlations and after that about 2 hours to organize the info in a way that make some sense
So you spent 4 hours on it, that's some dedication mateππΎ
wow thank you for the research and the explanation ! that was really interesting, hopefully it'll make arajin more bearable for those who find him intolerable
I usually don't read posts as long as this one but I did this time around and wow that really puts a lot of aspects of this show and Arajin as a character into perspective.
People on MAL refuse to actually enjoy watching anime.
Your taste in anime isn't a personality trait.
MAL is literally just anime Twitter as its own website lol.
wow thank you for the research and the explanation ! that was really interesting, hopefully it'll make arajin more bearable for those who find him intolerable
That's really interesting. I agree that there are too many very specific similarities for the writers to not have had this in mind.
But like you said, we'll have to see if the writers can keep developing Arajin and stick the landing in the finale. Where the story comes from is a different topic from whether the actual story is good or not.
Your interpretation of that moment in episode 6 is also great, and I hope it's true. But I did not get the impression that that was what the writers were going for. I've only watched the episode once, but I don't think Arajin had any reaction to what Mahoro exactly said before he came to her aid; he saw she was about to get beaten to a pulp. Maybe the writers will revisit that moment later in the season and talk about what was going through Arajin's head in that split-second.
Anyway, I love that this anime is different and strange enough that we're talking about anything like this in the first place. Depending on where they take this, this could be anime-of-the-season material.
If your research and observations are true, they should have said so since the beginning of the anime to make Arajin seems less annoying.
I'd rather laugh while accepting his condition rather than disgust his actions every time he does anything while not knowing.
If your research and observations are true, they should have said so since the beginning of the anime to make Arajin seems less annoying.
I'd rather laugh while accepting his condition rather than disgust his actions every time he does anything while not knowing.
@Vivid_7 Yeah, I totally agree with you and that's actually the whole point of this post.
I believe that a "good character" depends mostly of two aspects: the "concept" and the "execution".
The "concept" is the core of the character, the idea behind him. It's what defines the characters weaknesses, strenghts, physical and psychological traits, etc.
The "execution" is how the concept is explored in the story, it's how and when the concept is going to be presented and developed. This is tied more to the narrative than the character itself.
What I presented in this post is what I believe to be the concept of the character. I admit that I don't discard the possibility that I might be wrong and it's all coincidence, but I don't believe that's the case, it all fits too well to not be intentional.
The point that I'm trying to.make is that, conceptwise, Arajin has potential to be a very interesting and complex character, but because of some terrible narrative decisions taken by the writers he became just an annoying brat that everyone hates. But the question I want to make with this post is: "whose fault is it that everyone hates this character? Arajin itself (the concept) or the narrative decisions (the execution)?
If your research and observations are true, they should have said so since the beginning of the anime to make Arajin seems less annoying.
I'd rather laugh while accepting his condition rather than disgust his actions every time he does anything while not knowing.
@Vivid_7 Sorry for the long text, this explanation sounded way shorted in my head π³π³π
That's really interesting. I agree that there are too many very specific similarities for the writers to not have had this in mind.
But like you said, we'll have to see if the writers can keep developing Arajin and stick the landing in the finale. Where the story comes from is a different topic from whether the actual story is good or not.
Your interpretation of that moment in episode 6 is also great, and I hope it's true. But I did not get the impression that that was what the writers were going for. I've only watched the episode once, but I don't think Arajin had any reaction to what Mahoro exactly said before he came to her aid; he saw she was about to get beaten to a pulp. Maybe the writers will revisit that moment later in the season and talk about what was going through Arajin's head in that split-second.
Anyway, I love that this anime is different and strange enough that we're talking about anything like this in the first place. Depending on where they take this, this could be anime-of-the-season material.
@perseii I think the greatest problem with this anime is lack of time, there's too much going on for a 12 episode anime. With such a short amount of time the writers doesn't have muxh flexibility to work with the narrative and that led to some pretty bad decisions.
They had too many characters and information to present at the beggining of the story and their solution was to delay the development of the main character and use the first four episodes just to introduce the characters, concepts and worldbuilding. This delay made everyone start to hate the character and now they don't have enough time to develop him properly.
It's the same with that scene in episode 6. Even when Mahoro got slapped he still couldn't do anything aside from yell for her to run, but it's just after she said those words that he was able to move. And even his eyes was different at that momment, for the first time his eyes seemed really determined and serious. That's why it makes sense to me that it was her words that prompted him to move. However, the writers didn't have enough time to work with his inner thoughts in that scene and make clear what was going on in his head, so it all felt just too sudden, and that's why nobody really understood that scene.
That's really interesting. I agree that there are too many very specific similarities for the writers to not have had this in mind.
But like you said, we'll have to see if the writers can keep developing Arajin and stick the landing in the finale. Where the story comes from is a different topic from whether the actual story is good or not.
Your interpretation of that moment in episode 6 is also great, and I hope it's true. But I did not get the impression that that was what the writers were going for. I've only watched the episode once, but I don't think Arajin had any reaction to what Mahoro exactly said before he came to her aid; he saw she was about to get beaten to a pulp. Maybe the writers will revisit that moment later in the season and talk about what was going through Arajin's head in that split-second.
Anyway, I love that this anime is different and strange enough that we're talking about anything like this in the first place. Depending on where they take this, this could be anime-of-the-season material.
@perseii That was also a huge comment, sorry about that π³
@Vivid_7 Yeah, I totally agree with you and that's actually the whole point of this post.
I believe that a "good character" depends mostly of two aspects: the "concept" and the "execution".
The "concept" is the core of the character, the idea behind him. It's what defines the characters weaknesses, strenghts, physical and psychological traits, etc.
The "execution" is how the concept is explored in the story, it's how and when the concept is going to be presented and developed. This is tied more to the narrative than the character itself.
What I presented in this post is what I believe to be the concept of the character. I admit that I don't discard the possibility that I might be wrong and it's all coincidence, but I don't believe that's the case, it all fits too well to not be intentional.
The point that I'm trying to.make is that, conceptwise, Arajin has potential to be a very interesting and complex character, but because of some terrible narrative decisions taken by the writers he became just an annoying brat that everyone hates. But the question I want to make with this post is: "whose fault is it that everyone hates this character? Arajin itself (the concept) or the narrative decisions (the execution)?
CarlosRock said: But the question I want to make with this post is: "whose fault is it that everyone hates this character? Arajin itself (the concept) or the narrative decisions (the execution)?
As a viewer, and in my opinion, I'd say the execution is to be blamed here. Although I find the concept kind of weak to build upon, but if the execution, as you defined it, was good-enough, I will not have any hate towards Arajin.
I think this is a great analysis. I don't actually think the writing of the series is bad. It's probably just a well thought out as you speculate, and it's OK for Arajin to be unlikable. Personally, I think Arajin can be a terrible person and that's different from being a "bad" character in terms of writing. I almost wonder if the series intentionally wants the audience to not like him. And on the point of the show "not making it clear," making it obvious defeats the pount of subtlety. It's stuff like this that makes story analysis fun.
You cooked.
I honestly don't get the hate that Arajin gets. his character isn't all that different from Hachi from Nana, a very easily influenced, gullible and naïve kid. Then again, Hachi got a lot of hate too. They are intentionally flawed characters, he is inexperienced and completely devotes himself to his desires without hesitation despite the fact he’s being used, and I think that's a huge part of his character's journey throughout the show, along with his past ties with Matakara. It would be boring if all of his personal issues and flaws were resolved right away.
Everytime I watch an episode, I keep asking myself "why is he like this?" and you explained everything wtf. If you have more to share about other characters or stuff about the anime I would gladly read everything this is so interesting and intriguing. I will watch the anime with another perspective now.
Everytime I watch an episode, I keep asking myself "why is he like this?" and you explained everything wtf. If you have more to share about other characters or stuff about the anime I would gladly read everything this is so interesting and intriguing. I will watch the anime with another perspective now.
@Nubiellee Thanks! I just edited the main post with a little more information, this time I'm talking about Matakara and Ichiya
Nice research and most of it make perfect sense. I have the impression that writers have crammed all their ideas into 12 episodes due to production constraints.
It is shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult.
Is this a good anime to watch if I'm craving more cheesy delinquent anime? I like the goofy telenovela aspect of Tokyo Revengers, am currently digging Wind Breaker. It's made me realize I enjoy all this delinquent stuff. Is Bucchigiri good for that? (I don't mind about the MC)
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