Shigurui - Vol. 15 Ch. 84 - Pure Crimson

[UnderworldBlues]

Fujiki knew of the inherent corruption of the system they lived in, but, bound by honor, decided to not act upon it and simply become another one of it's puppets. Mie also knew of this corruption but couldn't act upon it, so she decided to give her heart to the man who wouldn't be tied down by this system.
At first this man was Irako, but his ambition to trample the system blinds him and, by the end, he too becomes part of it, becoming just like the people he hated so much.
Then it was Fujiki, who after waking from the coma, frees himself of his chains, he professes his love to Mie and pledges to put Irako down, not because it's his duty but because doing so will allow them to put their past behind and move on.
But as Fujiki strikes Irako down, Saegusa orders him to cut Irako's head off and when he obliges, seeing this, Mie knew the puppet had returned, Fujiki couldn't truly rid himself of his chains and had once again become a pawn, so she chooses to take her own life, for the man she loved didn't exist in this world.
In the end, Fujiki suceeded in leaving his past behind, but by doing so, he also destroyed his future.
Absolutely masterful work, truly literature at its finest.

 

[Njin]

I can't say I find Mies suicide psychologically realistic. Living with a man that nearly raped her, that she despises, for years, just so she can see Irako die - and then kill herself immediately?
Like I understand her wanting to kill Irako - as much as she loathed her father, he was her guarantor for a stable life. As a woman that has been raised as lifestock, she has no abilities to survive in a medieval society other than selling her body, which she is clearly opposed to. On the day where she thought her Prince Charming would return and save her from a life where she is treated like shit, Irako more or less condemned her to her worst possible imagined life. She idealized Irako, and on the day when her hopes were rejuvenated, he inadvertedly pushed her into hell. That's gotta sting...


Similarly, I understand not wanting to live such a life, and killing yourself.
The kicker is, she was fine living with Gennosuke, scorned by everyone, in relative poorness, for years. And socio-economically, her life looked like it was improving; Gennosuke being hired would allow her to return to her previous life, except Gennosuke is a lot more malleable then her father, as she should fully know. Hatred of a person being so intense that it can stave off suicide from a life you absolutely loath for years just isn't realistic to me... I suppose she just doesn't feel any joy in life, but feeling lukewarm about life doesn't drive people into suicide, and her situation isn't as bad as it looked on the day her father died. But what if Gennosuke died to an accident early, leaving revenge unfeasible - would she have just offed herself on the spot? It really doesn't feel believeable to me...
Maybe the Kogan abnormality runs in the blood. I suspect psychological realism has been sacrificed to make a point, which I suppose is fine - it's literature after all.



That being said, Gennosuke got absolutely what he deserved, narratively her suicide is as awesome as it gets. All the members of the Kogan-school are fucked up human beings; Kogan himself was an absolute monster, and on his orders and in his name its members, Gennosuke included, carried out all manners of atrocities. Maimings, killings, rapings, self mutiliation and torture - they only blindly obey, and never ask themselves if their actions are right. Only at the very end does Gennosuke understand he did something wrong with killing Irako - and is denied his happy ending alongside it, unworthy of it.


@UnderworldBlues I love your analysis, especially how Irako eventually fell in line - and I reckon that's why, narratively, he falls.

 

[Ahab19]

What sucks is Gennosuke was stuck in a catch 22, no matter what happened in his final fight he'd either die or be left alone without Mie. Should he have refused the lord and been executed then and there? Is it better to go on living as a puppet after finally getting your vengeance on the man who destroyed your world? Either way it was a great story very bittersweet and an interesting look into the barbarity of feudal Japan.

 

[Haru777]

Well. Fuck. True tragedy it is then.

 

[LizardMon122]

I had hoped Irako and Fujiki died but nonetheless great manga abrupt ending tho