Rewrite the Stars Ch 4- Hamliet – Banana Fish (Anime & Manga) [Archive of Our Own]

Chapters: 4/15
Fandom: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Sing Soo-Ling/Lee Yut-Lung
Characters: Ash Lynx, Okumura Eiji, Lee Yut-Lung, Sing Soo-Ling, Shorter Wong, Blanca (Banana Fish), Max Lobo, Ibe Shunichi, Nadia Wong, Charlie Dickenson (Banana Fish), Lao Yen-Thai, Jessica Randy
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe – High School, Bullying, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Depression, Friendship, Redemption, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Summary:

When exchange student Eiji Okumura arrives at his American high school for a year abroad, his worries about fitting in and earning As are quickly swept aside when he meets Ash Lynx, a genius rumored to have spent time in juvie last year. Between Ash, his friends Shorter and Sing, and the mysterious younger brother of the school’s principal, Eiji finds himself drawn into a power struggle that he realizes is more familiar than he thought. High School AU… (like, where they’re actually in school + there’s a chance of healing).

Rewrite the Stars Ch 4- Hamliet – Banana Fish (Anime & Manga) [Archive of Our Own]

anghraine:

The worst villain meta:

I actually really love [villain]. But not like silly [fans of character], haha. I love them because they’re so one-dimensionally flawed! [Character] is such a great representative of [hateful group] and really shows how those people emerge from nowhere and exemplify [issue catchphrase]. [Context] and [circumstance] don’t matter, only choices, and that’s such an important message. 

But fans make them out to be [anything but raw evil] and it’s so sad that they’ve missed the point. They don’t love the real character, just their woobified version. I’m the one who really loves them!

“he is still motivated by being desperate to protect historia from the same mistake Grisha did”. Are you saying eren choose a destructive path to save historia!?

Well, yes, absolutely, though that’s not all of it. Eren is acting as he is to save all his friends, and the idea that Historia would be forced to breed children is absolutely a part of that. The problem is it’s not working. Historia is pregnant and miserable anyways. Sasha is dead. Mikasa and Armin just almost got blown up–and it’s all because of his poor choices. 

What do you mean when you say Erens not gonna be saved? I keep seeing you use that phrase. What does he need saving from? Hes only got 4 years left to live, hes been doomed ever since Grisha injected him. He barely reacted to his limited lifespan when he found out and quite frankly I dont think he cares whatsoever about his own life and intends to die once everything’s over anyways. In terms of his decisions he chose this path on his own. I don’t think he wants or needs to be saved from anything

I guess I mean being saved from himself–he’s clearly making some very destructive choices. Killing kids, becoming the monsters he swore to destroy in attacking innocents, making choices that led to Sasha’s death (and will lead to more deaths of his loved ones probably), pushing Armin and Mikasa away, etc. He’s on a path that will absolutely kill him (even without the lifespan limit), but he’s still motivated by being desperate to protect Historia from making the same mistake Grisha made (having a child to use as a tool, like twice)–but he isn’t even succeeding in that. His current path is not leading towards victory, so by saved I mean not survival, but deviating from his path. I don’t think he will deviate from self-destruction beyond a realization, but that realization is enough for me. 

Hey there! I really value your opinions and I am wondering if you think because it looks like Falco will have to inherit the armored titan to have an opportunity to have a good future, that that means the story is headed towards a final confrontation that will ultimately be positive for life to continue? Or do you think it will be a complete tragedy? I’m trying to look for hints in the story, but with this one it’s difficult 😆

Hello! Thank you!! 

I really don’t think the ending will be nihilistic. The ending panel Isayama showed recently is hopeful–a parent telling their child they are free. While it is possible this is Grisha ironically telling Eren this, it’s kind of a strange choice for an ending panel if that’s so, so I really think we’re headed for a bittersweet ending. I don’t think the majority of the cast will survive–currently my bets for survival are Mikasa, Gabi, Jean, and Historia. I think others have a chance though, including Falco, whose chances I like better than, say, Connie’s or Hange’s. But I do think the Eldians will be free.  

I actually don’t know about Falco inheriting the titan–it’s a little strange writing-wise if so. It’s kind of reverse serumbowl where instead of scrabbling to save one person you love via titanization, they’re fighting to save someone (actually a lot of people, like a massive part of Paradis) from titanization. Can they stop Zeke before he screams and turns everyone into a titan? I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s out of the question. The fact that it’s revealed before they transform does hint writing-wise that it might not happen, and Gabi’s already realizing her mistake and the potential consequences for Falco, so does the narrative really need to rub it in by following through with that kind of consequence? It might to fully reinforce to her how awful Marlay is treating the Eldians, but. I kind of think what Gabi’s recently seen with Mr. Braus and Kaya and Mikasa might be enough on its own. 

Not to mention Falco and Gabi are pretty clearly a representation of Eren and all the SC members, and I think it seems pretty clear Eren isn’t going to be saved, though I do think he’ll have a moment of recognition and redemption (depending on how you define redemption). So why repeat that story in a nihilistic cycle idea if the ending says “you’re free?” Not to mention I think they need to break the titan curse somehow, probably via these pathways things… so I actually still have hope for Falco! 

Your top 10 tv series and movie or film?

Do you mean anime or TV series excluding anime? I don’t actually watch very many TV shows that aren’t anime, but:

1) Avatar: the Last Airbender, 2) Game of Thrones, 3) Legend of Korra, 4) Psych (one of these is not like the other), 5) LOST. I think that’s pretty much it though. I have others I’ve seen parts of but wouldn’t rank as something I’ve like seen every episode of or really care about. 

Movies (please note this is a list of movies I like best not necessarily think are the best movies of all time):

1) The Breakfast Club, 2) Star Wars (the whole saga), 3) Perks of Being a Wallflower, 4) Les Miserables, 5) Lord of the Rings, 6) Slumdog Millionaire, 7) Mulan, 8) Hotel Rwanda 9) Lion 10) Guardians of the Galaxy

Are you a consultant in real life? or someone who deal with physiological stuff in life? Like all your answers and thoughts and perspective are making me thinking you are one

Well, thank you. I’m not, but I was. When I worked at a boarding school as a literature/philosophy teacher, I also worked in the dean’s office (boarding schools are kind of like that, everyone has multiple positions) and wound up working with the counselor portion because they were really understaffed. The counselor and the dean were both renowned psychologists who taught me a lot, and they’re two people I’m still in touch with and admire deeply. I loved my work there, but it was 10,000 miles away from my family, and when my father got sick + there were other personal factors, I moved back to the US. 

However, I don’t have a degree in psychology. I actually did start a program, but then got hit by health issues and so everything’s been kind of on-hold for the time being… but it’s getting better and I do hope to eventually go to grad school for school psychology.