Shounen Shoujo - Vol. 3 Ch. 12

[MangaDex]

 

[DontFearTheReaper]

This whole chapter was rather bizarre. I somehow feel like I'm missing a lot of information I should already have.

 

[Alsimec]

ʇɐʍ

 

[RedOnYellow]

I have no idea what's going on anymore. Is this manga too big brained for me or has it gone off the rails?

 

[Waswaas]

Nisio have did it once again.

 

[Bibbedibob]

I feel like I need to be tripping on shrooms to understand what the fuck is going on here

 

[OniBarubary]

How unsettling

 

[CuthburtAllgood]

I feel like a lot of context is missing for those who haven't grown up in Japan or don't have knowledge of the way corporate entities work there. I'll attempt to explain some, but take what I say with a grain of salt; I've lived here a number of years now but that hardly means I know everything.

Japanese corporations operate more like conglomerates (ie: horizontal corporate entities as opposed to vertical as is more common in the west), there are exceptions, but in general competition is very low between companies and thus they tend to collaborate. The fashion companies literally hold large inter-board meetings to decide fashion trends for the year, manga/entertainment companies try not to go outside the box (this is why so many isekai are being published), and the three big banks control most of the money in the market withholding money from those who would break the mold and low interest rates for the normal person to prevent capital gains (and losses for the bank, the Nikkei hasn't been doing that well the past 20 years).

Anyway, I haven't read the Japanese source so I could be totally wrong, but I feel like there is a lot of reference to Japanese people suppressing their individuality due to many of the things listed above. You can't have individuality when the conglomerates control what can be bought and don't care about competition; thus individuality dies for the Japanese child as they age.

A good book to read that talks slightly about the lifestyle of Japanese people from childhood to adult life is The Chrysanthemum and Sword by Ruth Benedict, chapters 11 and 12. The book was written during and just after WWII, but as an educational researcher I was shocked to see how little had changed in the past 70 years. In essence freedom is slowly stripped from children as they get older.

So, NisiOisiN has written another deconstruction. But rather than a deconstruction of a genre like he did with Monogatari, or Medeka, in one chapter he has revealed a deconstruction of the entire way of life for Japan, with multiple layers. It is beautiful in many ways, and horrifying in others. To save her from a life without individuality is to kill her. To save her from a life of individuality is to kill her. To love is to kill. Yet, in an almost self aware way, it also knows that by revealing something so tragic it gives readers a way to empathize and thus fit in with the norms of Japanese society.

Sorry for the rambling, didn't have a lot of time to explain what I think it means and if things aren't coherent I'll try to come back and fix it later (not that anyone will read it or care).

 

[Trew865]

@CuthburtAllgood

Thanks for the explanation, this entire manga makes significantly more sense now.

 

[GhostfaceChillah]

@cuthburtallgood great explanation. this is a beautifully drawn manga but i couldn't really make sense of it

 

[geistchevalier]

@CuthburtAllgood

Thanks for taking the time to explain, that's a good insight into Japanese society

 

[ScratchCard]

Everybody: We live in a society
NISIOSIN: We die in a society too.

 

[Acolytus]

@CuthburtAllgood Great explanation. I thought this whole thing was supposed to represent manga companies deciding what should be popular and thus killing the "individuality"of any author who tries to do something different from the same re-used plots (which would make this story pretty similar to Medaka Box) but it's really interesting to hear it goes beyond that.

 

[silentfx]

need moar, can't comprehend wtf happening.

 

[CuthburtAllgood]

@Acolytus Oh you are spot on with that happening in media companies in Japan and that this manga seems to hate that fact, but NiSiOiSiN upped the game this chapter with all the gravestones and board meeting in my opinion.

I really wish my reading comprehension was on the same level as my speaking so I could digest it better but alas, research prohibits linguistic study.

Edit: also, thank's everyone who read and appreciated my short little writeup! I fully expected it to be ignored.

 

[SemperSolus]

Spoiler

So, that's it?
"Life sucks, so killing's a kindness"?

That's literally what almost every suicide thinks, but they have the courtesy to keep it to themselves.

This seems to me like an angsty attempt at catharsis, and I'm unfollowing it.

^ (depressing and possibly offensive opinion people may not like)
(might be hypocritical of me, but it just made me feel better to say)

 

[BakedBanana]

I'm pretty confused, but I guess that's ok.

 

[AngelHQ]

Spoiler

So, that's it?
"Life sucks, so killing's a kindness"?

That's literally what almost every suicide thinks, but they have the courtesy to keep it to themselves.

This seems to me like an angsty attempt at catharsis, and I'm unfollowing it.

^ (depressing and possibly offensive opinion people may not like)
(might be hypocritical of me, but it just made me feel better to say)

Naw dog, your opinion is all right. I disagree because I think this kind of statement, the one from your interpretation I mean, is important. It might be representing the zeitgeist of the country of Japan, given the little análisis from another user.

Also I think your opinion is valid because it makes sense within your interpretation, and that interpretation seems to make sense too.

 

[zoo-wee-mama]

This whole chapter was rather bizarre. I somehow feel like I'm missing a lot of information I should already have.

that's a defining trait of nisio manga, you get used to it