My Wife Has No Emotion - Vol. 7 Ch. 46

[SasazukaIchimashi]

I’m writing this in Mac Notepad in June after reading the roughs of chapter 46 so I can give my straight speculation without being tainted by what I would have likely already read in the roughs for chapter 47 and possibly even chapter 48 by the time a translation of the finished version of chapter 46 is posted.

Perhaps this is the end for Satsuki Mina but I wouldn’t be too surprised if Ichijou Robotics, who would have already been visiting the site of the attack to retrieve whatever remains of the Shitorarii who was driving the truck to determine what exactly happened, decides to also rebuild Satsuki, perhaps as a reward for her heroism. I could even imagine Satsuki’s mind in a Super Mina body, that would be a conundrum for Takuma’s Mina.

I hope that this isn’t the end for the Shitorarii program, especially considering it’s obvious that the Shitorarii’s who were taking part in the uncle’s evil plan were being controlled by the small device he put on their foreheads. I suspect the order to kill Megu was probably a order too far, considering that at least Shitorarii #30 considers Megu to be a precious friend, so it could’ve been that Shitorarii #30, even in her decapitated sleep mode, was able to hit a mental kill switch process to shut down all of the other Shitorarii robots at the same time. Why she waited until Megu was threatened to do that instead of before any of the Shitorarii’s were behind the wheel of the trucks remains to be explained.

I’m not sure why Erisu wasn’t included in the Megu rescue plan. It could just be that Michika Ono knows that Erisu’s not particularly well-suited for combat and Michika decided to use a robot with an intentionally detachable arm in her plan instead. If Shitorarii #30 knew that one of her “sisters”/“alternates”, under control of her uncle, was likely to kidnap Megu for, umm, reasons that, as far as I can tell, still haven’t been adequately explained (considering the evil uncle didn’t actually seem to need Megu for any part of his plans), you’d think Shitorarii could’ve at least given Megu a little bit of a warning to be wary of any Shitorarii’s without the “XXX” on their chokers.

AUGUST ADDENDUM:

Iwhat I would have likely already read in the roughs for chapter 47 and possibly even chapter 48 by the time a translation of the finished version of chapter 46 is posted.

I needn't have worried about my opinion being tainted, chapter 47 is a series of flashbacks centered around Satsuki and Mamoru and Sugiura Jiro hasn't yet started working on Chapter 48 proper since he seems to have been working on bonus content for Volume 7.

I know it's not a popular opinion but I would still like to know what happens next with the Shitoraris, since I assume Michika Ono (glasses girl) is going to restore the non-destroyed ones to their original personalities.

As I was reading, I thought Satsuki was going to be the one to save the locked up, anger issues, robot teen.

The locked up girl isn't Erisu Isami (the robot neighbor girl), it's Megu Hisanaga (the club leader who is not a robot as far as I'm aware).

Erisu was nowhere to be seen in this arc. I wonder if she was involved in stopping one of the other two Shitoraris who were driving the trucks?

 

[Chuggoth]

So, you see, like, there's a bunch of robots, with superhuman physical and processing power, and ability to wirelessly and instantaneously coordinate, and, like, they have to stop a truck barrelling towards them, so, like, instead of:
quickly tearing down nearby fences and other public property to create a geometrically efficient makeshift barricade, or calculating how to divert the truck by damaging the tires and/or road surface, or assuming a proper group formation using bodies' natural strength to gradually dampen the impact while minimizing casualties and damage to the surrounding area, or sacrifice few of themselves in any other EFFICIENT manner like jamming the wheels with their bodies and trying to damage the engine, they, like, awkwardly bunch up into an unstable ball in the middle of the road in an act of self-sacrifice, because, like, they're, y'know, desperate to discharge their strength in a dramatic manner one last time in service to their human overlords.
Fuck this author.

 

[SasazukaIchimashi]

^ I don't think Jiro Sugiura explicitly ever spells it out but most of the robots we've seen in this series seem to have some kind of intelligence-limiter so that they're only as smart as an above average human, meaning they're good at math but not necessarily at outthinking humans by coming up with elaborate and well-thought out plans spontaneously.

 

[BuyVelomobiles]

So, you see, like, there's a bunch of robots, with superhuman physical and processing power, and ability to wirelessly and instantaneously coordinate, and, like, they have to stop a truck barrelling towards them, so, like, instead of:
quickly tearing down nearby fences and other public property to create a geometrically efficient makeshift barricade, or calculating how to divert the truck by damaging the tires and/or road surface, or assuming a proper group formation using bodies' natural strength to gradually dampen the impact while minimizing casualties and damage to the surrounding area, or sacrifice few of themselves in any other EFFICIENT manner like jamming the wheels with their bodies and trying to damage the engine, they, like, awkwardly bunch up into an unstable ball in the middle of the road in an act of self-sacrifice, because, like, they're, y'know, desperate to discharge their strength in a dramatic manner one last time in service to their human overlords.
Fuck this author.

We already have machines with superhuman processing power. They've only recently become able to construct any kind of plans autonomously. You may have missed it, but in this universe, most robots don't have superhuman intelligence. In fact, they're a little on the slow side. The only exception so far has been Mamoru, who's been quickly adapting throughout the story. I agree they probably should have been able to at least make a barricade or something, but that's all.

 

[Oured]

Not only do you not tell me the difference between the two things, but now we're talking about "true emotion". What are you on about, man? Explain yourself already. Do you need help putting into words? The best I can gather is that you're wondering whether she cares about Takuma as an instrumental goal, or as a terminal goal. Which, considering the Venn diagram for both in this situation is a circle, is a totally academic question.

Beyond that, I don't know what you're on about. I don't see how her motivations for doing things make her emotions "fake emotions", or how "true emotions lead to fully independed (sic) thought".

The difference is that her appreciation for Takuma could very well be programmed into her as it would for any other robot when she was purchased, or it could be morphing into genuine attachment to Takuma. The former translates to Mina simply moving on the moment Takuma is no longer with her, and the latter translates to Mina forgoing logic to make the two of them happy, and suffering like Satsuki did when her human partner passed away. That's the appeal of it.
The manga is called "My Wife Has No Emotion". She's showing hints of what could be emotion while still expressing them in a way that could be mistaken for robot logic. The point is to figure out which one is the bigger weight on her decisions without applying human biology to it.
I don't see how this is difficult to get unless you've been taking the whole thing at face value this entire time. The author sure isn't.

 

[Eeliejun]

Man Satsuki was wasted. She could have been so more to tell a deep story about lose and finding purpose again but no we skipped all that and now she is gone. Like what was even the point...

 

[BuyVelomobiles]

The difference is that her appreciation for Takuma could very well be programmed into her as it would for any other robot when she was purchased, or it could be morphing into genuine attachment to Takuma. The former translates to Mina simply moving on the moment Takuma is no longer with her, and the latter translates to Mina forgoing logic to make the two of them happy, and suffering like Satsuki did when her human partner passed away. That's the appeal of it.

So how's being programmed to love Takuma any different to parents being programmed to love their kids? Is parental attachment not genuine? A case can be made that you're the one lacking real emotion, if that's the rabbit hole you wanna go down.

The manga is called "My Wife Has No Emotion". She's showing hints of what could be emotion while still expressing them in a way that could be mistaken for robot logic. The point is to figure out which one is the bigger weight on her decisions without applying human biology to it.
I don't see how this is difficult to get unless you've been taking the whole thing at face value this entire time. The author sure isn't.

It's hard because the author is literally showing robots expressing emotion, and the only thing stopping you from recognizing it as such is the apparent insistence that the emotions must lack clearly articulable explanation. If you're looking for purpose in life, you don't really care about someone when you take care of them. If you're programmed to love someone, then it's not real love. By that logic, I'd assume you wouldn't call an act true charity if I'm doing it to feel good inside, or to receive thanks or something.

 

[KuroeNekumi]

I'm actually okay with this arc and like the ending. We've seen before that some people in society hate robots, and it's actually natural that would extend to terrorism. The purpose of the arc was to show that, despite what some people believe like this guy, robots still aren't inherently bad. The news broadcast further highlighted that because people's immediate assumptions were that the robot involved was manipulated, so the blame lies with whoever did that rather than the robot.

Meanwhile, I can't say this arc is fully about robots having free will. The stray robots still all wanted to serve humans first and foremost, to the point that one was allowing kids to attack it before they all made a human wall. That isn't necessarily free will, but a direct result of their programming: they're meant to be useful to humans, even to the point they're happy to die in the process.

Mina is unusual in that aspect. She still has the innate urge to be useful, BUT it's restricted to Takuma. I think she acted "selfishly" here by not joining the wall of robots, and stopping Takuma from going on. She openly stated she considered him more important than the lives of children.

I think that's the real impact this arc will have on her: the realization that she's diverging from her core programming, because she WON'T risk dying. She wants to be with Takuma, and just didn't realize it.

the fact that no other robots in the vicinity except the robots without purpose that live in the park are shown responding to it (and also Satsuki, since she hasn't been registered on any other family yet, she's basically coasting along with Mina's wishes as a promise to have purpose eventually) leads me to believe that it is only them that can take action, since everyone else have tasks they have to prioritize over responding to it. and probably if they had a robot in the kindergarten it would've acted too, since preventing the harm of the people in it would line up within the parameters of its current registered purpose (I guess? not sure, do wonder if the author would wish to delve on that).

 

[KuroeNekumi]

The difference is that her appreciation for Takuma could very well be programmed into her as it would for any other robot when she was purchased, or it could be morphing into genuine attachment to Takuma.

In case you forgot, Takuma bought her in a second hand shop (or at least from someone who was reselling her), and it's been SHOWN that she was tampered with by her previous owner to go beyond the normal logic for robots.

Maybe she was modified so she could develop logical processes that lead to outward expressions a human could understand as love or fondness, but so far we haven't had a reason to believe she was modified in a way that'd force her into loving her current owner. So I'd bet on the second, since it is the more plausible progression from what we've been shown in story (again, at least as logical processes...by which I mean how her robot logic develops decision-making from experienced stimulus), and it's been the implication since they've shown parts of her past.

Point being: she isn't programmed to feel fondness for him, beyond her duty to serve him as best as she can from her base programming, but they've established that the modifications made to Mina have resulted in her being enabled to develop, at the bare minimum, patterns of action that would imply her feeling emotions (obviously the point being that it might not be that surface deep, and she might be developing emotions in a more "organic" way compared to current untampered robots).

 

[Oured]

So how's being programmed to love Takuma any different to parents being programmed to love their kids? Is parental attachment not genuine?

Because it's interesting to see how a robot discovers herself. She's obviously not human, but she is arriving at the same conclusions as a living creature. Organics are obviously programmed by instinct and genes, meanwhile a robot can have its programming changed by a human at any time. Mina being able to redefine that herself is what I personally want to see, not the end result.

It's hard because the author is literally showing robots expressing emotion, and the only thing stopping you from recognizing it as such is the apparent insistence that the emotions must lack clearly articulable explanation.

I'm aware of this view on living things. After all it can be argued that there is no true selfless act without the release of dopamine and no true free will beyond what your genes tell you to do. Chapter 43 shows robots that long to be useful rather than their previous owners (the strays), robots that long for the humans they have (the masked robot), robots who long for their human partners that passed away (Satsuki) and Mina somewhere in the middle. Where she'll end up is what I find fun to wonder.

Takuma bought her in a second hand shop (or at least from someone who was reselling her), and it's been SHOWN that she was tampered with by her previous owner to go beyond the normal logic for robots.

I know. She was modified by the robotics engineer who made her series. He aimed to create a new type of robot that would grow to create its own directives and make its own choices as to make them actual partners for humans. Even back in her flashback in chapter 21 when her creator clearly intends to program her to be "more than just a robot", she doesn't seem to understand that she has that ability. She acts like she has no emotion, even though she's shown to have them. She's been figuring that out ever since. But does it work out? Hard to tell. Her creator couldn't stick around to confirm if his project was a success or not. She's really good at being cold when you expect her to say what she's really thinking.

tl;dr I'm just waiting to see if she can create her own motivations herself rather than having them programmed into her by someone/something else like instincts are programmed into a human being by their own genes. If she can do that, can it really be called "predefined"? Since there's no survival instinct or genes to maintain, then what could it be for a robot like her?

 

[SasazukaIchimashi]

Man Satsuki was wasted. She could have been so more to tell a deep story about lose and finding purpose again but no we skipped all that and now she is gone. Like what was even the point...

I'm not convinced that Satsuki is gone for good. It might not seem too likely that Satsuki will be rebuilt however Ichijou Robotics has a weird president who does frivolous things and Satsuki would be a perfect addition to their team.

He's probably quite proud that one of their own robots was one of the ones who assembled to stop the attack (by another one of their own robots, and one based on his daughter, but Shitorari #3 was acting against her own will).

I don't think the president had anything to do with his brother's (?) nefarious plan.

 

[CDR.]

This is the first comment I've ever written on this site. I think, if I were to summarize my thoughts on the Manga (since Erisu's resolution with her parents) in one word, it's "build-up."

The author has been building toward so many ideas at once. It's prevented any clear direction to form and stick (imo). And switching gears from the slow paced slice of life story, to having Deadpool long panels about humans and robots, is very noticeable.

I'm more so reading the series as my "junk food", now. Before, I was so invested. I'm not mad at how things are, but I don't hold the same enthusiasm for a new chapter, anymore.

Honestly, I think the biggest missed potential was the ghost kid. Imagine Mina trying to prove to Takuma that ghosts are real. It would have been an inverse of Takuma explaining their son wasn't an error. It could have been so heart warming.

 

[Grye]

I'll never forgive killing Satsuki to save children

 

[Ironclad]

Last couple chapters were a mess but at least it ended strong.

 

[LordofAlI]

I haven't been able to follow what's happening quite a while

same

 

[CinderSquall]

Meanwhile, I can't say this arc is fully about robots having free will. The stray robots still all wanted to serve humans first and foremost, to the point that one was allowing kids to attack it before they all made a human wall. That isn't necessarily free will, but a direct result of their programming: they're meant to be useful to humans, even to the point they're happy to die in the process.

This is the part that kills of any argument in favor of robots having free will... having an embedded function where they value humans more than their own, will always result into the robots not be an equal to humans.

From the hints in their dialogue we are given, it seems like older abandoned robots have sentience beyond their initial programming from the their real life experience. But unlike Mina who is evolving/has a bug/etc. they still have to adhere to the "protect humans at any cost" rules, and can only gain satisfaction from helping them (I agree that in this chapter it is morbid).

This kind of setup that the author made honestly feels terrible 'cause even if they get the validation that robots have "free will" the extent of said "free will" still falls to serving humans.

 

[BuyVelomobiles]

This is the part that kills of any argument in favor of robots having free will... having an embedded function where they value humans more than their own, will always result into the robots not be an equal to humans.

This kind of setup that the author made honestly feels terrible 'cause even if they get the validation that robots have "free will" the extent of said "free will" still falls to serving humans.

The real argument against their free will is that there doesn't seem to be anything you can do to convince them not to be useful to Humans. Even once. There are plenty of things you're programmed to do/not do; you still have free will. If I put two bowls in front of you- one with ice cream, and one with shit, you don't really have a choice but to eat the ice cream bowl: You won't magically decide to literally eat shit through sheer force of Free Will no matter how many times we do this. But if I threaten to execute your family unless you do it, I'm sure you'd at least give it some serious thought.

Robots, on the other hand, literally don't seem to have even a passing choice in the matter, and will only go against it if you literally hack their brains.

 

[Ally04]

i cant fuck*ng believe that the author fuck*ng killed the real satsuki.
HOW THE HELL SOMEONE APPROVED THIS
I WAS OK WHEN YOU HAVE PUT A THOUSAND SIDE-CHARACTERS, PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT HUMANITY, "TEMPORARILY" REPLACING MINA, FORGETTING ABOUT THE ROMANCE DURING ONE-FOURTH OF THE STORY
BUT KILLING THE REAL MINA WAS THE LAST BIT OF FAITH I HAD ON THIS MANGA, I CANT BELIEVE THE AUTHOR BETRAYED ME THAT WAY.
I WILL REMOVE MY 10-STAR RATE AND PUT AS 1 BECAUSE THIS WAS FUCK*NG BULLSH*T FOR ME

Ok, now seriously, why did the author did this? what is he trying to tell/do after this? what is the point now?
Edit 1: Forgeta about my rage, I thought the Mina who died was the original one, thank lord.
Edit 2: Still sad her death tho

 

[CinderSquall]

There are plenty of things you're programmed to do/not do; you still have free will. If I put two bowls in front of you- one with ice cream, and one with shit, you don't really have a choice but to eat the ice cream bowl: You won't magically decide to literally eat shit through sheer force of Free Will no matter how many times we do this.

You say that as if you don't know there are actual people who doesn't really mind eating shit. That's the problem no? to "justify" the equality between humans and robots you have to put so much hurdle/handicap for the humans which just makes the equality argument "forced" to be in favor of the robots.

Like author really just needs to write at least one robot to actually be a rogue AI that doesn't mind harming humans to make his point of robots can gain free will, but he knows that can also be used to argue against giving the robots rights... at the current state of how they write things they're trying to "have their cake and eat it too"(or however that saying goes).

Robots, on the other hand, literally don't seem to have even a passing choice in the matter, and will only go against it if you literally hack their brains.

Hence the question do they actually have "free will" or is it just the humanity of the series trying to impose their own emotions to it(kinda like how things were back then with vocaloid... or literally just parasocial relationships nowadays).

 

[BuyVelomobiles]

You say that as if you don't know there are actual people who doesn't really mind eating shit. That's the problem no?

I was talking about you specifically. Is there something you're trying to tell us?

Like author really just needs to write at least one robot to actually be a rogue AI that doesn't mind harming humans to make his point of robots can gain free will, but he knows that can also be used to argue against giving the robots rights... at the current state of how they write things they're trying to "have their cake and eat it too"(or however that saying goes).

Do you really think something needs free will to be given rights? They're sapient machines that make all sorts of choices for everything, save for whether or not they're "useful". Do they really need the choice to be useless, malevolent monsters before you agree they should be treated as equals?

Hence the question do they actually have "free will" or is it just the humanity of the series trying to impose their own emotions to it(kinda like how things were back then with vocaloid... or literally just parasocial relationships nowadays).

I don't see how "free will" is a prerequisite to having emotions here.