Futsuu to Bakemono - Vol. 3 Ch. 23

[MangaDex]

 

[Cogito3]

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm curious to hear what people think Itou means by "blasphemous," and why Takahashi seems to have forgotten her earlier usage of it.

 

[UdenEmpati]

I also like the parallels in how she used 'blasphemous', both in chapter 6 and here.

Both are when Itou was rejecting some "common-sense" concept from Takahashi:

• the first was about how to get along better with people, and Takahashi's answer was "being nice", but with the caveat that it was in pursuit of being useful to a person, because people are inherently self-interested and thus would be more amicable & friendly if you "make yourself valuable". Itou, for her part, rejected that pattern of behavior, and though she couldn't quite articulate it in the moment, she called it "exhausting" and that such thoughts felt "blasphemous" when you're trying to be with someone.
  
  
• the second, this chapter, is Takahashi again telling Itou to just let Fake Yoru do whatever they like, for the sake of appearances and the comfort of Ooki and Yoru's family--even if it means letting them be lied to. And once again, Itou rejects that, calling it the same word.

Which, in my interpretation, reads as Itou (knowingly or otherwise) striking at the heart of authenticity in relationships, something that she has apparently internalized in some respect. She yearns for normality in human connection and interaction, seeking guidance from a monster pretending to be just like her--but she rejects anything that would cheapen a bond between herself and someone else, or allow it to be transactional or exploitative, or a case of "turning a blind eye for the sake of empty harmony". And in that sense, Itou herself apparently has things to teach Takahashi, and Takahashi is now actively listening to her where she was much more detached and uncaring earlier on in their relationship.

A neat little parallel for Itou, and for her relationship with Takahashi, and for Takahashi, in how they've grown and solidified throughout the series.

Also - "blasphemous" is a hell of a term to use in this context for these interactions, but I think it's correct, and appropriate.

Both because it fits the sort of person Itou is--someone profoundly not-normal, but still deeply true to herself and her perspectives and beliefs (even if she can't really define them in the moment), would understandably use language and terminology that would feel either archaic, or perhaps simply "beyond" what a Normal Person would consider appropriate; but also because "blasphemous" itself doesn't only mean direct contempt of a god or deity, but of anything held sacred. And Itou absolutely holds friendship sacred, and though she craves some nebulous iteration of "Normality" for herself so as to be more successful at making friends, she's also profoundly aware that there is a significance to friendship, and to bonds between people (even monsters) that demands a truth and a level of respect that, in their absence, would render such things profane and insulting to the people involved.
Just my expansion on the term itself, because it's an interesting one to have twice in a series in these contexts and from a character as unique as Itou.


Thanks for the TL, as always.

 

[Serenata]

Flashback to my dark past where I used the word machiavellian (actually I wrote maquiavélico) casually .
But seriously this situation is really messed up, and I'm glad that at least one person gets to cry for her because her other friends and family can not... But that might change soon.

 

[onedumninja]

Was there a logic to how monsters choose their camo or is it just the easiest prey close by?

I'm sure there are lots of awful people they can replace which could even be a good thing (felony criminals and such).

My point is that the monsters could serve a positive purpose in society (still debatable tho) but they don't. They kill children like it's nothing. They seem (all the monsters we've seen) to have no remorse whatsoever. Humans are just a pair of jeans to pick from a pile.

I don't see any viable path to coexistence here and I'm rooting for our mc to kill Mr. N and the new one asap. Only the death penalty would suffice for beings that kill without remorse.

That said, Ito will have to either make an exception for her friend here or kill her eventually as the friend states. It wouldn't be the first time a human has strong beliefs but breaks them for a specific person(s).

Perhaps there is a compromise they could agree to. Monster friend only replaces people who "deserve" it. What qualifies is up to ito and her friend.

 

[WhiteRabbitBR]

Thx for the cap

 

[Resound]

aigh they gonna kill the copy? and this manga better not end up itou becoming a monster hunter