Oishinbo - Vol. 16 Ch. 144 - The Seabream Showdown!!

[MangaDex]

 

[Moonman94]

Man this manga just loves to make excuses for the dad huh?

 

[Mugiwara325]

Man this manga just loves to make excuses for the dad huh?

This would be around the point where we as readers should notice, there's a strange level of acceptance the other people have towards Kaibara.
Do they not know what he did to his wife? Or is there perhaps more to the story we're not seeing because we're always looking from Yamaoka's perspective?
We'll learn the truth of the matter eventually, but not yet. Not now.

 

[Moonman94]

This would be around the point where we as readers should notice, there's a strange level of acceptance the other people have towards Kaibara.
Do they not know what he did to his wife? Or is there perhaps more to the story we're not seeing because we're always looking from Yamaoka's perspective?
We'll learn the truth of the matter eventually, but not yet. Not now.

What IS the truth if you don't mind me asking? For the longest time my only access to Oishinbo was the A la carte releases, and I'm just now getting through the anime.

 

[Mugiwara325]

What IS the truth if you don't mind me asking? For the longest time my only access to Oishinbo was the A la carte releases, and I'm just now getting through the anime.

Sure. Understand though, that this information in revealed far into the series, so it's a pretty heavy spoiler.

Spoiler: The Truth

In a future chapter, Yamaoka and Kurita encounter the doctor who treated Yamaoka's mother. Kurita pulled some strings to get him and Kaibara together, demanding a thorough explanation of what happened to Yamaoka's mother, Kaibara's wife.

The mother had a naturally weak heart, and Kaibara had recommended not bearing a child because of it, but the mother insisted, saying she wants the genius in Kaibara's blood to be passed down, no matter the cost. Understandably, this exacerbated her heart condition, and she was largely bedridden after Yamaoka's birth.

Despite the doctor's short estimate of her remaining life, she continued to live past that, constantly supporting Kaibara in his artistic endeavors. The doctor posits that Kaibara's constant scoldings gave her the determination to keep going and working until she could satisfy her husband, and that it was thanks to him that she lived as long as she could.

Yamaoka considers this explanation unsatisfactory, as it still demonstrates that Kaibara did in fact, abuse her even in sickness. His relationship with Kaibara would remain strained, but we see here what the general public thinks of Kaibara. His wife's heart condition was not made public knowledge, and there are people who see his abuse and consider him a monster, but those who are closest to him (Toyama, Kyogoku, Nakagawa, etc.) know what happened, even if Kaibara is too stubborn to explain to them, and are more sympathetic towards him.

 

[Moonman94]

Sure. Understand though, that this information in revealed far into the series, so it's a pretty heavy spoiler.

Spoiler: The Truth

In a future chapter, Yamaoka and Kurita encounter the doctor who treated Yamaoka's mother. Kurita pulled some strings to get him and Kaibara together, demanding a thorough explanation of what happened to Yamaoka's mother, Kaibara's wife.

The mother had a naturally weak heart, and Kaibara had recommended not bearing a child because of it, but the mother insisted, saying she wants the genius in Kaibara's blood to be passed down, no matter the cost. Understandably, this exacerbated her heart condition, and she was largely bedridden after Yamaoka's birth.

Despite the doctor's short estimate of her remaining life, she continued to live past that, constantly supporting Kaibara in his artistic endeavors. The doctor posits that Kaibara's constant scoldings gave her the determination to keep going and working until she could satisfy her husband, and that it was thanks to him that she lived as long as she could.

Yamaoka considers this explanation unsatisfactory, as it still demonstrates that Kaibara did in fact, abuse her even in sickness. His relationship with Kaibara would remain strained, but we see here what the general public thinks of Kaibara. His wife's heart condition was not made public knowledge, and there are people who see his abuse and consider him a monster, but those who are closest to him (Toyama, Kyogoku, Nakagawa, etc.) know what happened, even if Kaibara is too stubborn to explain to them, and are more sympathetic towards him.

Huh, not entirely appealing as far as reasons go, but still good.


I'd have personally expanded upon that a little more by having Yamaoka himself being one of the main reasons for the mother's death, unintentionally of course, and that Kaibara kept that part hidden from Yamaoka so that he didn't have to carry the burden. Hell maybe even have one of the pieces of art that Yamaoka destroyed the night he was vanished actually being something that his mother made(again he wouldn't know) and that could be the main issue that Kaibara actually has with him.