also, like eto said reliques like marude and V from another time cannont create a new equilibrium, hide could probably help but sadly he only cares for a situation if it affects kaneki, and kaneki still only cares for the people he knows, i’m glad kaneki is in a better place but idk if he can build a new world (bc he is almost as biased as marude and probably should concentrate in being a parent with touka) the Qs though still have a lot of emotional baggage to deal with (also more mutsurie)
I would like to see the Qs get more development! They are my favorites, after all, and I’m still sad about Saiko’s lack of an arc, and Hige’s and Hsiao’s, since all of them have the set-up for arcs. Aura has an arc (that’s why he is actually my 3rd fave Q and I will defend him to the death tho I totally get why ppl don’t like him) but there’s a lot more that could be done with him, and of course, with Urie and Mutsuki since I doubt their arcs can resolve satisfactorily in 2 chapters. But we will see.
Mm, so I have mixed feelings on what you say here, if that’s okay?
PSA: everything I say and will be saying esp. as it relates to quality is my opinion, and you are welcome to disagree, and also my opinions may change over time as I reserve the right to change them. My opinion is not fact, but I also can’t state that every time I write something because disclaimers are exhausting.
I disagree quite strongly on the Eto and Naki front, especially the Naki front, lol! Eto’s death made thematic sense but not a lot of character sense, and Naki’s death made absolutely no thematic nor character sense. Given the themes of “live” it makes even less sense. Yes, he fake-died because he was clinging to the idea of dying stylishly to impress Yamori, but there was nothing unique about Naki that set his clinging apart from, say, Kaneki’s clinging to everyone, Mutsuki’s to Kaneki, Hinami’s to Touka and Kaneki, etc.–in other words, there was no reason for him to die while everyone else got another chance.
My honest opinion is that Naki’s sleep and reappearance are handled just fine for the narrative–it’s his fake-out death that, while beautiful, is actually the unnecessary part. I don’t see the point to faking out an audience on a beloved character’s death when it makes so little sense, only to be resolved so quickly with little time left.
As I’ve said in the past few days, I would rather get the development we need rushed than not get it at all, and this applies to my thoughts on Eto’s and Naki’s returns. I think it’s the right narrative decision for them to return regardless of how the pacing is handled, and of course I don’t like being manipulated for tears with Naki’s fake-out death. Also? We better get Nakimiza hints in the final chapter too that’s all I want. Lol.
As for the rushed pacing–I agree with you completely. I think since the OEK plot point was introduced, the pacing has been poor when compared to the rest of the manga, and the cracks started to widen with each successive arc–little cracks in Rushima and the Clown Raids became larger in the Goat arc and absolutely exploded in the Dragon arc in my opinion. I still think TG and :re are absolutely amazing stories, masterpieces even, but I think there’s a reason Rose is commonly considered the best written arc (of course not everyone agrees, but fandom in general seems to think highly of that arc above all others, and it isn’t even my fave!).
My personal opinion which no one has to agree with but is mine, is that after the characters from TG and from :re really merged in terms of focus, there were just too many characters to give a satisfactory focus and keep pacing reasonable, and as a result some are lacking development. With the story concluding soon, I don’t think they’ll get a proper focus for completing their arcs, as I also feel Amon’s arc and to an extent Kaneki’s as well arrived at the right destination but without the proper build up. That’s what I expect for the majority of characters who have not yet completed their arcs–Eto, Urie, etc.
I also think the story focused too little on Touka, Ayato, Hinami, and the Qs post Cochlea (especially Saiko). They were the characters who appeared in the prologue, after all, and it was a bit disappointing to see them take a backseat once the other TG characters returned–Urie and Mutsuki did continue get proper focus, but their arcs were still a little iffy post clown raids. And I’m not saying the merging of the two casts of characters is bad because the TG characters all need great arcs too, but I don’t personally feel as if the suddenly really, really large cast was handled as best it could be.
They didn’t unite to defeat Urie, nor Mutsuki, nor Kaneki. They saved all of them when they framed out. I’m pretty certain they’ll have to do that again with Shirazu should he return.
Except no, they all banded together to save Kaneki, not to kill him.
Basically these are subverted because these people refused to play the narrative roles they were set for. If Furuta decides to break out of his narrative role, I believe Kaneki would help save him from Rize. If he doesn’t, on the other hand… narrative foreshadowing will not be subverted.
You and me both. :’‘‘) Yeah, I think at this point I would honestly prefer Ishida to conclude the arcs he still has left to conclude (like for the Qs, Urie and Mutsuki) in a satisfying manner than try to squeeze a Saiko arc in, and I’m disappointed.
I do think we might get something from her towards the end, though, especially if Shirazombie appears (if those were all red herrings to nowhere plotting I’m gonna have words lol). Since Ishida, in addition to a chiastic structure, appears to be loosely referencing chapters around 100 chapters previously, and there was quite a bit of Qs focus around the 90s, I can see something around the 190s for Saiko. That was where Amon first challenged her and where Saiko came closest to having an arc, imo. That was also where Mutsuki reunited with the Qs and Saiko’s being sick is definitely paralleling Mutsuki’s abduction in being missing. So she might reunite with them then and maybe there will be Shirazombie… we will see.
I mean Urie might be a ghoul himself and if he isn’t Saiko probably will be so he better XD. And yeah. The main issue cockblocking Urie romantically and in all ways of growing as a character right now is that he represses, and his job/promotion is the vehicle he uses to repress.
Yes, I do think Urie is going to open up at some point. He kind of has to or his arc is dangling incomplete. We already have some good signs this arc, which as we know is about characters learning to take responsibility:
And we had in chapter 65 of :re Kaneki pushing responsibility onto Urie to rescue Mutsuki, when as a parent Kaneki was kind of abandoning his kid. In chapter 165 of :re we have Urie telling Kaneki he is entrusting Saiko to him, because as Kaneki’s kid she is his responsibility and so, that’s a good step for Urie to stop trying to carry everyone’s burden and to be responsible for what he’s responsible for.
But you know what you’re also responsible for, Urie? Your emotions. And responsibility sometimes means speaking up. Responsibility often means doing something, not passively waiting around for things to happen.
Since the manga spent so much time building up Mutsurie, I can’t think of how it would not be addressed. Urie and Mutsuki’s developments are tied into a romantic resolution,
and I just don’t see what any other solution has to offer.
Urie undeniably has feelings for Mutsuki
that he didn’t speak up on presently. That’s not debatable between
“let’s go home together,” the parallel of Mutsuki waiting for him to
defeat Amon like Kaneki envisioned Touka cheering for him to defeat
Suzuya…
the “coats are nice I guess…”
the horror on his face at the wedding when Mutsuki said he loved Kaneki…
plus after the wedding the hints at Urie still trying to protect Mutsuki.
Like, if Urie has reverted to thinking about Mutsuki as just a coworker and that’s why he’s concerned now and that’s how their relationship ends, that makes absolutely no sense for his arc because that’s… legit what’s repressing him. And yet, that’s what he cites on Dragon.
But just like I did not take Mutsuki at face value when he said he didn’t care if they died, I don’t take Urie at face value here. Urie loves Mutsuki. He does not say so because
his flaw is expressly told to us by Ishida to be keeping his mouth shut
& bearing the burden. There are multiple ways this can be resolved but not many I think make sense for the text.
1)
Urie never tells Mutsuki and it’s dropped. Except then why would they
reconcile? Why introduce this plot point if you’re not going to go
anywhere with it? Why continue to show how much Urie cares for Mutsuki
even during his spiral?
2) Urie never tells Mutsuki and it’s a
tragic end. How is that satisfying and how does that fit with the themes
of :re? Why would they have reconciled? If he wasn’t going to overcome
his flaw Mutsuki should have died as a consequence on Dragon. Because killing him now would just be fridging.
3) I don’t think Saiko loves Urie romantically but since ppl bring it up I’ll address it. Urie never tells Mutsuki because he’s moved on to Saiko. Same with Option #1. So… why even introduce Mutsurie? Or Urie tells Mutsuki but also says he’s moved on to Saiko. Offers Mutsuki
the chance to not do to Saiko what he did to Touka, but isn’t that
like, cruel? How does that help Mutsuki in his arc? And furthermore how
does it help Urie in his? What’s the lesson, you don’t need to speak up
because sooner or later it’ll all just work out? When not speaking up is
explicitly Urie’s flaw, it’s got to be addressed and him falling to
this flaw can’t be rewarded or it makes no sense as an arc.
4)
Urie tells Mutsuki and they talk and perhaps get together. Seems the
most fitting end for both their arcs, because they have been tied
together from the beginning and are both shown wanting family and
romance.
But anyways. A good opportunity to start Urie opening his mouth would be Shirazombie. Because Urie never once showed Shirazu kindness until his dying moments, when Shirazu couldn’t even hear him anymore.
But we know Urie’s not over losing Shirazu and still wants him back.
So Urie seeing Shirazu coming back would have a huge impact on him.
Mutsuki: rambles and lets loose and is giggly and flirty and fun
Urie: will have an existential crisis and dissolve into tears and can be consoled only by Mutsuki
Shirazu: will tell you what he really thinks without mercy
Saiko: alcohol puts her to sleep
Hsiao: is a badass and dances until every person attracted to women in the nearby vicinity bows before her
Aura: is really funny but then gets sick and the others have to clean up after him and put him to bed
Higemaru: works up the nerve to call Hakatori but opts not to use drunk Urie’s terrible pick up line, which is really just a suggestion he got from Touka.
Chibi Quinx Squad Doodles. Not exactly high art here, but still. I mean I had a cold, drank an alcoholic hot toddy, and these are straight pen, with no pencil stage to get them right. Probably better quality if you use “view image”.
Inspired by a mental image I had one day of Saiko’s big alien-worm-thing kagune drooling. Urie looks ready to flip tables kick chairs, poor Mutsuki is about as green as his hair, and cool, serious Hsiao of all people is inappropriately amused.
Put my signature on Saiko’s dress because I’m a perv I love Saiko (also thought it was funny, speaking of inappropriately amused).
hamliet 