January 2025 Issue

Ajin: Mortality and Morality



How do you define what is right and what is wrong? One widespread basis for the definition of morality is religion. However, the moral codes of most faiths are outdated in the present times (we don’t want slavery again, do we?). Now, how do we decide for ourselves if there is no God to tell us what’s good and evil? The basis for morality in the 21st century is empathy. It’s broadly accepted that we should not do something to hurt others and value the lives of humans. But what would happen if there existed a minority of a few immortal humans? How will society treat them when their lives can’t be endangered by anything except old age? The story of Ajin: Demi-Human deals with this interesting question. Let’s dive into the nitty gritty of Ajin in a not spoiler-free way!

What are Demi-Humans in Ajin?

Demi-humans are immortal humans. The only thing that can kill them is old age. An essential rule for their regeneration is that they always regenerate from the largest body part that exists. This means that if you are a demi-human and you have cut your finger, then it will regenerate as you would expect. But if your cut finger is intact and your body is minced or burnt, you would regenerate through your finger. If you just regenerate your finger, then it’s not that much of a hassle. But how do you suddenly get that much matter to form when regenerating your entire body from a finger? This is explained by the existence of Invisible Black Matter (IBM), which is the source of Ajin’s powers. IBM also allows Ajins to summon a black ghost, which can be used to attack and defend and can only be seen by other demi-humans.

The Treatment of Demi-Humans in the Story.

As you would expect, they are being used for scientific research in a not-so-humane way. Demi-humans can’t die but can get unconscious by anesthesia or other methods. What can immortality do for you when you are strapped? Now, don’t forget that they can still feel pain. If a demi-human gets caught by scientists, it becomes a living hell for them. All sorts of medicine and technology are tested on them. This definitely shortens the testing period for medicines, but this is clearly inhuman treatment. We, as readers, can feel it as we read the story from the point of view of demi-humans. But why was this practiced in the story?

The Origin of Discrimination and Cruelty.

People discriminate against others when they are scared or disgusted by them. But this all comes back to one point - they feel the other person is different. Differences (which are inevitable) are the primary reason for discrimination. The survival of humanity depended upon forming closely bonded communities in the past. Anything that threatens their community’s values is seen as dangerous, and anyone different from them is discriminated against. The feeling of empathy that drives morality does not arise for the victim of discrimination by the discriminator. This is the reason why inhumane experiments were being run on demi-humans because they are different from normal mortal humans. Don’t get me wrong; in the story, the public felt conflicted when it was revealed that the government was funding these experiments, but not much was done. What do you expect when the victims of such cruelty find a messiah who promises to liberate them?

The Retaliation of Demi-Humans and Sato.

Sato (Samuel T. Owen), who is arguably one of the best villains, is a demi-human who gathered other demi-humans to start a series of terrorist attacks in response to the inhumane treatment of demi-humans by the government. Do you remember the reason why Germans elected Hitler? They were in an economic crisis because of the Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression. Hitler promised to liberate them from this crisis, and the rest is history. Sato made the attacks purely for his own amusement under the disguise of a rebellion for rights. By the time other demi-humans understood his intentions, it was too late. Just like Hitler, he was successful in propaganda, and later, when he acquired power, he started acting out what he really intended. (Spoiler alert) Sato was so dominant in the entire story that even at the very end, he could’ve fled but still chose to get caught because of his interest in Kei Nagai (Our Protagonist). Sato abandoned his morality as he understood the potential of immortality.

Mortality and Morality

Nothing is as priceless as life. Our entire framework of morality is based on preserving life, especially human life. Ajin is an excellent demonstration that immortality makes it easy for a person to wreak havoc in the world (in the case of Sato). This also means that the immortals can be discriminated against, as displayed in the story. Your decisions will change if you find that you are immortal. It is considered immoral to get drunk too much or indulge in drugs. The reason for this is that it harms your body. Now, you are immortal. Of course, a drug overdose won’t kill you. But this still creates lots of problems for the society if you use drugs. Immortality renders useless, one of the most critical Ten Commandments- Thou shall not kill. The moral values of a society where immortals exist will differ from our world.

Additionally, the morals will change according to the ratio of immortals and mortals. As shown in Ajin, if mortals are the majority, they will find a way to subjugate the immortals. Just like that, immortals would practice cruelty on mortals if they were in the minority. Even if the immortals were not the majority, they could use their abilities to overpower mortal humans.

Ajin displays how immortality can be a boon or a curse, depending on the situation. It also analyzes the behavior of society and how our morals function. Ajin: Demi-Human by Gamon Sakurai has a manga and an anime adaptation. I haven’t watched the anime, but I can assure you that the manga is worth checking out. I have not talked about the protagonist, Kei Nagai, but the dynamic of Sato and Nagai and the tension between them throughout the manga is really amazing. Sato is my favorite villain in animanga, so check out Ajin: Demi-Human if you haven’t already!!!!!!

When Shonen meets Seinen

STEEL BALL RUN



Introduction

As a medium, Manga is as diverse as the audiences it caters to, with two of its most prominent genres being shonen and seinen. While shonen is often associated with fast-paced action, youthful protagonists, and themes of growth and friendship, seinen delves into mature narratives, complex characters, and philosophical undertones. These genres represent different target demographics and embody distinct storytelling approaches that have shaped the evolution of manga. But there is one manga that caters to both and has managed to pull it off perfectly to become one of the best and most reputed manga ever.

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Steel Ball Run

Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: Steel Ball Run, written by Hirohiko Araki, is often regarded as the most incredible work of fiction in the 21st century, and for good reasons. Being a culmination of both Shonen and Seinen, it ideally provides the best of both sides and is a must-read for any reader. The anime will be released shortly in the Summer of 2025, so right now is the perfect time to take interest and dive into the world of Steel Ball Run.

This article will focus on how Steel Ball Run takes the best of both worlds and is able to create a masterpiece that is appreciated by many.

Warning: Spoilers ahead; please go through the manga to enjoy your life to the fullest.

Shonen

The shonen genre, aimed primarily at a younger male audience, is characterized by its focus on action, adventure, and themes of growth and perseverance. Protagonists aim to achieve their dreams, encountering a series of challenges in their adventure. Common tropes like the power of friendship, willpower and determination, and the ideology of never giving up are prevalent among shonen mangas. Some popular examples of shonen may include Dragon Ball, Bleach, and Demon Slayer.

Shonen in Steel Ball Run

The story follows a young boy named Johnny Joestar, who once was a successful horse jockey but soon encountered troubles after getting shot in the spine and developing paraplegia. Before the Steel Ball Run race begins, he encounters Gyro Zeppeli and his steel balls. After coming into contact with Gyro’s balls, he was able to temporarily gain strength in his legs, which shocked him and made him very curious about finding out the power behind those balls. Thus, a dream is born of participating in the Steel Ball Run race and winning it to discover the truth behind the mystery.

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This story is the tale of me starting to walk. Not in the physical sense…
but in an adolescence-to adulthood-sort of way… - Johnny Joestar

Gyro agrees to help Johnny achieve his goal and claims to perceive a “dark determination” in Johnny that makes him prioritize his goal over anything else, disregarding any risk or consequences that he may come across.

The whole story takes place simultaneously with the ongoing Steel Ball Run race, where Gyro and Johnny face challenges at every moment of their journey, pursuing their primary goal while competing in the race as well.

As synonymous with other parts of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, part 7: Steel Ball Run continues the usage of stands and also incorporates a new concept of spin, creating a new power dynamic from part 7 onwards. Part 7 is the beginning of a new universe completely different from the previous parts, and the successive parts, like Jojolion and JOJOLands, follow the world of Steel Ball Run.

The most fantastic part of Steel Ball Run would be the side characters and the overall character development of every significant character in the series. From the likes of Johnny, Gyro, and Diego to Funny Valentine, Lucy Steel, and, of course, we can’t forget Jesus Joestar. That reminds me that it is Christmas while I am writing this article. So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone reading this, and let’s continue forward.

Johnny, intrigued by the power of spin, takes lessons from Gyro throughout his journey to reach the “truth”. During this process, he is able to conjure his own stand called Tusk, which has the power to shoot nail bullets at enemies incorporated with spin. They discover various corpse parts scattered across the route of the Steel Ball Run and suspect that the “truth” will be uncovered once they find all the corpse parts and that whoever is overseeing this race also wants their hand on the “truth”. And that’s when we encounter the best antagonist that could possibly exist, Funny Valentine, who has one of the most potent stand abilities, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

Throughout the series, Johnny and Diego develop a sense of rivalry. They are very similar in that they won’t hesitate on anything if it means they can achieve their own goals. Johnny always had that dark determination that he would not hesitate to kill. At the same time, Diego is an opportunist, which is showcased when he allies with Funny Valentine to kill Johnny, even though he was well aware of Funny Valentine’s personality and the threat he posed to him, but in the end, the alliance proves futile.

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Gyro, for this reason… this was the reason for “lesson 5”. Thank you… Thank you, Gyro.
I truly… truly… thank you… I can’t find any other words to express it. - Johnny Joestar

Perhaps the most shocking thing that has happened in Steel Ball Run would be the introduction of an alternate Diego with a completely different stand from the one possessed by the Diego of this world. Diego had stolen one of the corpse parts and fused it with his left eye, turning himself into a dinosaur. While initially benefiting from enhanced senses and strength, the Stand and its abilities eventually became his own, also known as Scary Monsters. In the parallel world, Diego was much crueler and more violent than the original Diego and had a much stronger stand, famously known by many as THE WORLD.

Johnny Joestar’s character development, along with the development of his stand powers are evident throughout the series. While he was very depressed and lacked confidence at the beginning of the Steel Ball Run race, as the race progressed, he gained back his self-esteem and strengthened his resolve to fight for his motive. The key steps of his progress include Johnny discovering the Corpse (ACT1), then standing up for himself against Soundman (ACT2), symbolically cleansing himself of his guilt against Axl RO and being blessed by Jesus's apparition (ACT3), and finally acquiring the Corpse and regaining the use of his legs (ACT4).

Seinen

The seinen genre, targeted primarily at adult male audiences, is characterized by its mature themes, complex narratives, and nuanced character development. It often explores philosophical, psychological, and societal issues, delving into morality, existentialism, and the human condition. Seinen stories frequently feature realistic settings, morally ambiguous characters, and a focus on the consequences of actions, creating a grounded and introspective tone. Notable examples like Berserk, Monster, and Vagabond showcase the depth and sophistication that define the seinen genre.

Seinen in Steel Ball Run

The intricacies of Seinen are deeply enrooted in the characters themselves. Their backstories give the reasoning for their actions and, combined with their goals and perception of the world, creates a vastly dynamic and nuanced interaction between the characters.

We are introduced to Gyro Zeppeli from the beginning and learn that he is an executioner hailing from the Kingdom of Naples. He joins the Steel Ball Run race to win amnesty for a child he is assigned to execute. For him, winning the race is the ultimate motive, and he looks down on everyone else, mocking and insulting them. Gyro gains respect for Johnny once he is exposed to his determination and resolve. Despite their opposing personalities, they considered each other as valuable allies and were ready to save the others’ life in their stead anytime. Gyro's continuous support helped Johnny get out of his depression and enabled him to begin anew. Throughout their journey, they discover each other's secrets and thus build an unbreakable bond of blood and brotherhood.

There were multiple instances where Johnny’s and Gyro’s resolve were questioned. Against their fight with Ringo Roadagain, they faced a dilemma where they couldn’t escape without killing him. He had incapacitated Johnny as he was a serious threat and wouldn’t hesitate to finish him off. He possessed a stand that could rewind time, and it was challenging to subdue him, but in the end, Gyro had to make a decision, and thus, for the first time in his life, Gyro had killed someone and took a step closer to entering A True Man’s World.

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This is the world of man. Do you want to condemn it as backwards?
This world that we live in…. It seems as if our values are leaning heavily towards
one of spoiled indifference. - Ringo Roadagain

Another instance was when they encountered Civil War, a stand whose whole existence is to control people’s guilt to attack them. As such, it is a perfect example of a stand that affects you mentally and psychologically. Even when Johnny killed Axl RO, the user of the stand, he was instantly revived just because Johnny felt guilt for killing him. Such was the potency of this stand. This was also when Johnny unlocked his Tusk ACT3, enabling him to handle the situation and escape death yet again.

Diego Brando, more commonly known as DIO, is an example of an antagonistic character that isn’t particularly villainous. His history and backstory heavily influence his goals and motives throughout the story, and he takes every necessary step to achieve them. Since childhood, he witnessed the horrors surrounding him and his mother. One instance would be when they didn’t have a cup to claim the stew being distributed to the farmhands, so she was served the scalding stew in her hands to feed her son. Seeing her mother sacrifice her hands just to feed him brought tears to his eyes, and from then on, he developed a strong sense of pride following his mother’s example. After the death of his mother, he grew up resenting and looking down on everyone and vowed to take any steps necessary to fulfill his goals and exact revenge against society.

In the Steel Ball Run race, we observe that Diego always tries to sabotage Johnny and Gyro, and thus, he is portrayed as an antagonist. Still, I believe he is an independent character who acts in his best interests and is ready to follow any path that guarantees success. Although he couldn’t achieve his goals in the end, he still preserved his pride and morals and died with them, which is a testament to his unwavering belief in himself and the values he upholds as an individual.

There is one character in Steel Ball Run who is blessed by Jesus, literally. Lucy Steel, just 14 at the time of Steel Ball Run, married to Steven Steel, the promoter of the Steel Ball Run race is whom I consider to be one of the main protagonists since without her, Johnny and Gyro would never know about Funny Valentine and all their efforts would be futile and for lost cause. She is the one who finds out about Funny Valentine’s plans and even throws herself into danger by infiltrating Funny Valentine’s mansion, disguising herself as his wife and with the help of Hot Pants’ help, even killing her. She also has several perilous encounters against Stand users such as Blackmore, Mike O., or even Diego Brando, all of whom try to kill her. Lucy is ultimately the one who defeats Diego Brando by bringing his alternate self's head to him, killing him. Despite her gentle nature, Lucy also doesn't hesitate to fire at Blackmore or stab Valentine, showing a hidden ruthless side to her.

Lucy exhibits courage, resilience, and compassion in her actions and becomes the prime target for Funny Valentine to exploit her since she has the blessings of Jesus himself. Needless to say, Lucy Steel is probably one of my favorite characters from Steel Ball Run, and her appearance in Jojolion makes me even happier, but that is a story for another day.

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My body is being replaced with something else... Th... The Corpse... Am…
Am I going to turn into the Corpse? - Lucy Steel

Last but not least, we have Jesus Joestar. Yes, a literal God is related to the Joestars, and the whole purpose of Funny Valentine for conducting the Steel Ball Run race was to find his corpse parts to revive him to obtain immortality for himself and make America great again. Although not much is discussed about him, it was clearly evident that he and Lucy Steel were the main trigger for the events that had conspired in Steel Ball Run.

Brief Conclusion

While the story plot and the journey of Johnny Joestar and Diego Brando create a background for shonen, characters like Lucy Steel and Funny Valentine provide a unique twist to the story in terms of philosophical and psychological manifestation of their goals, adding the aspect of Seinen to Steel Ball Run. There are various stands and stand users who bring out the change in our main characters. At the same time, throughout the story, a complicated chain of power dynamics gives rise to different alliances, some volatile while some intense.

In conclusion, Steel Ball Run masterfully blends Shonen's energetic and action-driven elements with the depth and maturity of seinen storytelling. Its dynamic character growth, thrilling battles, and themes of perseverance resonate with Shonen fans, while its exploration of morality, human ambition, and philosophical undertones appeal to a Seinen audience. This seamless fusion not only broadens its appeal but also cements its place as a groundbreaking work that transcends traditional genre boundaries, making it a standout in the world of manga.

Alright, that concludes my article. Thank you for spending your time to read such a big article on Steel Ball Run, although I would argue that it was a good use of your time. I expect everyone to read the manga or just wait for the anime, which will be released shortly, because Steel Ball Run is definitely worth a read/watch for all age groups and races.

- REVALIA

When the Seagulls Cry




I cannot properly start this article without mentioning the fabulous soundtrack for the game. Words cannot begin to define my love for the OST, so instead, I have linked a few songs below, which I highly recommend you give a listen (maybe while reading this article).
PLAYLIST


Without love, it cannot be seen

Umineko no Naku Koro Ni is the second visual novel in the “When They Cry” series, preceded by Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. It is divided into two parts: the Question Arcs (Episodes 1 to 4) and the Answer Arcs (Episodes 5 to 8). I had started reading this behemoth of a story back in September 2024, and after 150+ hours of reading, I finally finished it in early January 2025. The reading time may be extremely long, but the game has over 1.1 million words so I feel it is justified. For comparison, all seven Harry Potter books combined have a word count of just over a million words.

After reading something for such an extended period, a person really can’t hate the series. The reason for that may or may not be Stockholm Syndrome, only Beatrice knows. Regardless to say, this series has left a lasting impression on me, and I will be using this article as an outlet for my thoughts and emotions about this game. And if this article gets you interested in reading the series, nothing would make me happier.

Umineko is a Murder Mystery story, and many people might not be pleased with the idea of reading an article containing spoilers. So, if you are someone who enjoys going into stories completely blind, then put this article on hold and go read Umineko. Who knows, it may become a life-changing experience for you as well.

For the rest of the readers, let me assure you that the topics I will be discussing won’t hamper your enjoyment in the slightest, even if you plan to read Umineko after my article. It might even give you a strong base to notice the small details early on in the story and appreciate the finer details even more.

Legend of the Golden Witch


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Episode 1 Character List

The story of Umineko is set in 1986 on the fictional island of Rokkenjima, located in the coastal islands near Japan. Rokkenjima is owned by Ushiromiya Kinzo, an extremely wealthy man who made his money in post-World War 2 Japan. Now, he is an extremely old man in his seventies and has grown quite senile. You can hear loud cries of longing coming from his room for a woman named Beatrice, who the residents of Rokkenjima believe to be an old confidant/lover of Kinzo’s.

However, a more mystical take on the story is that Beatrice is a witch who gave Kinzo ten tons of gold, which he used to build his fortune. Kinzo himself validated this idea by being a crazed practitioner of black magic in an attempt to revive his beloved Beatrice. He even hung a massive portrait of Beatrice in the main hall of his mansion, with a golden epitaph under it. Epitaph
Taken at face value, it reads like a ritual to revive the dead, very in theme with something Kinzo would do, but most considered the epitaph to be a riddle whose solution would lead to the mountain of gold Kinzo owned. The members of the Ushiromiya family and servants had all tried to solve the epitaph, but all had failed, so they had mostly given up on it.

The only residents of the island are Kinzo, his servants, and the family of his first-born son Krauss, who will succeed him to become the head of the Ushiromiya household. But, every year, an annual conference is held where all of Kinzo’s children and his family come together to have a conference with their father to discuss the conditions of their companies and other such matters. To the children, though, these matters seem superfluous in nature and show a crueler side to their parents, blinded by greed and fortune—a side they would prefer not to look at.

The protagonist of our story is Ushoromiya Battler, the son of Kinzo’s second son, Ushiromiya Rudolf. Battler returned to the Ushiromiya Family after six whole years, as he had a falling out with his father and had lived away from him for all these years. After returning to the island after so many years, Battler had forgotten a great deal about the island but had a great time reuniting with his cousins and reminiscing about their youth. The cousins played together into the wee hours of the night and had a lot of fun coming together after such a long time. In such a manner, the day of 4th October 1986 comes to an end.

The next day, the cousins wake up to the nightmarish reality of seeing that six people they know and love have been killed in a cruel and heartless manner. Faced with this brutal reality, some grieved, and others screamed words of anger at the invisible culprit, saying they would seek vengeance on them and make them suffer a cruel fate. Battler was faced with the harsh reality of accepting that both his parents had been killed and that the murderer was hiding somewhere on this island.

As the day progressed, the number of deaths kept piling up, and the survivors were plagued with distrust and suspicion. The gruesomeness and heartlessness of the crimes only added salt to Battler’s already deep wounds. The number of people he could suspect kept decreasing. Despite how hard he tried to deny it, he was tormented by the reality that one of the people he had gotten to rekindle with after such a long time could be the culprit.

Battler found a way to save his fragile ego from this dilemma of distrust and hatred that was spreading among the group of survivors: just put the blame on the Golden Witch Beatrice. Despite his logical understanding that such a thing was impossible and that there was no witch, he even said so to Maria multiple times when she insisted that the Witch did all the killings. But the brutality and heartlessness of the murders made him want to refuse the idea that these murders were committed by a person. That one of the people he was so close to would commit such a tragedy. The most interesting aspect of this episode was definitely the setup for this seemingly impossible murder mystery and the psychological dilemma multiple characters were faced with. It gives the reader the rawest taste of one half of Umineko: the mystery.

This tale ends with the death of all people on the island and the complete victory of the Golden Witch Beatrice. But it isn’t complete just yet. If you paid attention, the Epitaph of the Witch mentioned that once everyone died, the Golden Witch would revive and open the gates to the Golden Land, where everyone could be happy forever. Exactly such a thing happened, where the last four survivors, Battler, George, Jessica, and Maria, were revived in the Golden Land and reunited with their loved ones. All the “dead” people sat together at the table, enjoying this magical tea party, discussing their deaths with pleasant expressions on their faces with none other than the Golden Witch herself. It all seemed happy and cheery on the surface, but something felt off to Battler. The fact that everyone accepted the deaths as a work of magic by the witch Beatrice felt wrong to him, and despite seeing her in front of him, he just couldn’t accept it. And so, Battler challenged the witch to a battle to prove if she existed or not. Whether her magic was real or was an illusion to the real mystery.
This marks the end of the prologue.

Turn of the Golden Witch


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Episode 2 Character List

Now that the outline of the story has been set and all the pieces revealed, we can finally get started with the main event. The all-out battle between Battler Ushiromiya and the Golden Witch Beatrice to prove whether the events that happened on Rokkenjima on the 5th of October 1986 were the work of a magical witch or the work of humans. To do this, Beatrice made the Rokkenjima murders into a sort of mystery puzzle, which Battler would win if he could solve the mystery of all the deaths, and Beatrice would “win” if she kept him stuck in this guessing loop forever. For this game, she introduces a new concept called the Red Truth, which I will explain later.

Being more or less the prologue, even in the thematic sense of the game, Episode 1 didn’t have much to give in the name of philosophical threads of thought. That becomes much more prevalent in later Episodes of Umineko, as you will soon see. The first Episode sets up a foundation to explain the basic structure of the story, which is followed in all future Episodes.

But this article isn’t about discussing the mystery aspect of the story. You can find far better analysis articles and videos on the internet. I am more interested in presenting my interpretations of the philosophical themes that different episodes presented throughout their runtime and how they merge together across the Episodes. So, from this chapter on, I will spend more time exploring the thematic and philosophical aspects of the storyline.

Interestingly, the Battler from the previous game is the opponent of Beatrice, who is reenacting a different iteration of the events to convince him that she and her magic exist. We see a different rendition of events from the first Episode, but they still follow the same layout as the first Episode. People start getting murdered on 5th October, and their deaths follow the Epitaph of the Golden Witch.

In this Episode, we get more insight into some of the side characters in the previous Episode, such as the relationship between Rosa and her daughter, Maria. In this clip, you get a sense of the relationship that these two have, which I will explore in greater depth in a future Episode. We also get to see the budding romance between George and Shannon, as well as the teenage crush between Jessica and Kanon, which cannot come to fruition.

Despite being the overall weakest Episode of Umineko, looking back on it, I find many aspects of it build the foundations for various themes explored in greater depth in future arcs, a common theme for the question Episodes.

As a standalone Episode, the most intriguing part of this is the effects of paranoia and fear on the mind. As the day progresses and people keep getting killed, Rosa begins to slowly distrust anybody and everybody. To her, it may have felt natural to be wary so that she could protect herself and her daughter from harm’s way. But, in the process, she ended up abandoning everyone else for the flimsiest of reasons.
Reminds of the quote,

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.”

Sadly, Rosa was incapable of overcoming her fears but was instead completely swayed by them, which led her and all the survivors completely astray from the path of survival.

Banquet of the Golden Witch


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Episode 3 Character List

Episode 3 focuses much more on Ushiromiya Eva, the First Daughter of Kinzo, and her struggles. Being the daughter of the Ushiromiya family is no easy task, especially for Eva, whose only desire is to be acknowledged and praised by her father, Kinzo. Sadly for Eva, Kinzo didn't deem the family head to be a role a woman is eligible for. But Kinzo is an extremely patriarchal individual who believes in tradition and that men and women have different roles in society which they cannot abandon. Despite being more capable and skilled than her older brother, Krauss, she is never allowed to display her prowess. Or rather, she is reproached for her conventionally male character traits.

She is frustrated at herself and her family, and she is desperate for approval from her father and to become the future head of the family. The culmination of these negative emotions festered in her heart for years and didn’t clear away even after she became a mother and moved out of the Ushiromiya Household. These strong emotions and feelings gave birth to the persona of Eva-Beatrice, a witch who carried forth the murders of Rokkenjima in Episode 3. The dynamic of adult Eva mentally fighting against the actions of teenage Eva (Eva-Beatrice) is an interesting depiction of the “Angel vs Devil on the shoulder” and gives deep insight into Eva as a person.

In the Magic world, where Battler and Beatrice are duking it out in the third game, Battler has acquired a few tools to fight against Beatrice on even terms. The Red Truth is a statement that can be used by a Witch, and it is completely true. There is no use trying to deny the red truth as it will destroy the fundamental building block of the game itself. It is a very interesting mechanic, which is a double-edged sword. The second tool Battler got was the Blue Truth. These are statements that the human side can use to present a possible theory for the murders, and they have to be denied by the Red Truth, or it is a loss for the witch.

The final tool Battler gets comes from an unexpected place, it is from a witch, Virgilia. She is basically Beatrice’s mentor/predecessor, and she gives Battler a unique outlook on the situation when he is in dire need of help. Taking the idea from Schrodinger’s cat, she tells Battler to assume the events in the games depicted by Beatrice to be something happening inside the Cat box. The human Truth and the Witch’s Truth may exist inside the box simultaneously, which cannot be verified unless one opens the box and checks inside it. But since that isn’t possible for Battler, he can find solace in the fact that as both truths exist inside the cat box simultaneously, the validity of the Witch’s claims holds no bearing on his own claims, and his human truth will be equally valid.

This is a fairly interesting interpretation of Schrodinger’s cat box and opens the story to many ideas and possibilities, which are explored much more deeply in the Answer Episodes. Despite the tools Battler was given, his battles weren’t easy in the slightest. Beatrice employs various tricks, play on words, and other crafty methods to trick not just Battler but also the reader. She tries using various tools to suck the reader into her mystical world of magic and obfuscate the truth, and I, for one, fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

You can’t really blame me, though. Beatrice is just too good of a character for me to ignore. Her banter and “fights” with Battler were the most entertaining and engaging sections of the Questions Episodes for me.

Alliance of the Golden Witch


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Episode 4 Character List

As we progress through the episodes, the frequency and scale of the magical events keep increasing. Almost as if Battler is getting more and more acclimated to the magical phenomenon taking place around him. This Episode was a perfect example of this, where most of the October 5th battle involved various family members fighting life-or-death matches against demons and goat monsters. While this was very fun to read, to a detective, it is only muddling the truth. One can surmise that Beatrice increases the magical elements in the story to confuse and sideline Battler so that he doesn’t win against her. Too bad for her; Battler has Ange on his side this Episode.

Ange Ushiromiya is the daughter of Rudolf and Kyrie Ushoromiya, as well as the younger sister of Battler Ushiromiya. She was the only member of the Ushiromiya family who wasn’t present during the Conference on Rokkenjima on the 4th and 5th of October, 1986, meaning that she is the last remaining member of the family.
Or so one would believe, but as it would happen, Ushiromiya Eva was the lone survivor of that incident. As the only survivor, she inherited all of Kinzo’s gold and became the new head of the family, with Ange becoming her daughter. Obviously, the suspicious nature of her survival made many speculate about the murders of Rokkenjima and if it was all carried out her Eva herself. Ange herself believed this and blamed Eva to be the murderer of her family.

Many years pass, and in 1998, Eva passes away due to old age. Time had not treated her kindly, and she became a husk of her former self. Wary, paranoid, and spiteful of the entire world, especially Ange, who had survived instead of her beloved son George. She grew to resent Ange, and Ange grew to resent Eva. This mutual relationship of hatred didn’t end even after Eva died. Ange’s only purpose and mission in life is to find the truth of Rokkenjima of that day in 1986.

Ange gets a hold of Maria’s diary, and through the diary, we see a tale of Maria’s life from her perspective. To Maria, she thinks she has an enjoyable life, living alone with her mother. Her mother might be very busy at work and unable to come home often, but luckily for Maria, she is a witch, and she can give souls to her toys, so she never feels lonely. She might not have any friends at school, but luckily, she can take her toy friends to school and play with them, and hey, look, she isn’t lonely anymore. Her mom may be busy at work for multiple days in a row, but atleast she comes back with gifts for Maria and treats her well, usually.

But looking at their relation from the cold, rational mindset of an adult, all one can see is a strained relation between a daughter and her ignorant mother. While Rosa does love her daughter to some degree, she is filled with feelings of resentment for Rosa’s father for leaving her. Sometimes, she resents Maria for being born, as she is a sign of her ex, as well as a barrier for her to achieve happiness for herself as a woman, or so she believes. We see many instances of Rosa going on trips with her boyfriend while making excuses to Maria about being busy with work. And as we have seen in previous Episodes, Rosa has a habit of physically assaulting Maria whenever she gets pissed off.

Even interpreting it in the nicest context, Rosa suffers from some sort of BPD, where her emotions go loose, and she becomes an evil witch. The evil witch analogy is a coping mechanism Maria uses to make sense of her mother’s bouts of rage, which is extremely depressing to see. This brings us to the most fascinating aspect of this Episode: the nature of truth.

To us and Ange, it seems like Rosa is a horrible mother who doesn’t care for her daughter and leaves her alone for many days for the sake of her enjoyment. And Maria is a lonely girl whose only friends are her make-believe toy friends.
But to Maria, her mother is a hardworking person who works for a long time to provide for her family, and loves her daughter a lot, even when she doesn’t have the time to play. She is neither lonely nor sad, as she has the magic to birth new friends in the form of her toys, and she can play with them throughout the day. Who are we to defy her truth and call it wrong? Why does the objective truth of the situation even matter here? Who is the almighty individual that can even decide what the objective truth is? Society?
Rather than these pointless debates of what’s right and what isn’t, it is more important to find your own truth, which satisfies you. If Maria’s interpretation allows her to live her day-to-day life happily, then no one has to right to deny her that truth.
The certainty and belief a person puts into an idea imbue it with the magic to fulfill a miracle.

Ange was able to find some sense of solace from her torture with this understanding. Even if no one else can see her magic, it still exists, and no one has the right to refuse its existence.
And with that epiphany, Ange’s tale comes to an end.
Or does it?

End of the Golden Witch


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Episode 5 Character List

Episode 4 marked the end of the questions arcs, and supposedly, all clues and material needed to solve the mystery had been presented to the reader, as well as to Battler. But he still feels completely lost and has no clue what the solution could be. Beatrice’s non-responsiveness and the game being taken over by another witch, Lambdadelta, isn’t helping him either. But we aren’t here to focus on the game's events but rather the themes.

Interestingly, Episode 5 looks into the meaning of truth from an extremely contradictory sense compared to Episode 4. In Episode 4, we came to see how the singular truth that any person believes in is much more important and valuable than what people believe to be the truth.
In Episode 5, we are shown how if a truth is believed by the entire group, that truth rises to the status of a red truth. If everyone believes something to be the truth, then there is no one to refuse it. If no one refuses it, it is equivalent to the absolute truth.
People want self-satisfaction rather than the absolute truth. If something seems believable enough to be the truth and fits the people’s narratives, it is extremely convenient to consider it the absolute truth.

Natsuhi finds herself trapped in a narrative that paints her as the culprit, and she cannot prove she isn’t one. All the proof has been arranged such that the narrative forces Natsuhi to be the culprit unless an equally acceptable narrative is presented to prove her innocent. In the human world, no such convenient tool, such as the red truth, exists. So the truth, which seems to be the truth, is granted the status of red truth when the entire group accepts a narrative.

The might of the masses is a strong and cruel barrier that restricts all means of escape once the masses have converged on a specific belief. There is nothing tougher than to change the collective belief of a group, as the group would rather accept a convenient truth than search deeper for a more meaningful answer.

Without love, it cannot be seen, and it is quite convenient to enforce a truth without looking at the heart of the matter. But in the pursuit of truth, is ignoring the heart, the whydunit of the mystery, the right thing to do?

Dawn of the Golden Witch


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Episode 6 Character List

This episode is different from the previous ones in multiple ways. This time, the sides have switched, and our beloved protagonist, Battler, is the game master. He has graduated from the role of the detective and became the Game Master and the Owner of this memory fragment. The role of Detective was instead passed onto Erika Furudo, a piece of the witch Bernkastel.

Also, the themes being explored in this Episode are also very different from those explored in Episodes 4 and 5. While those topics focussed more on the different interpretations of truth and how love is needed to see the truth. This Episode centers itself on the meaning and the understanding of love itself. Love can have many interpretations, which I will be exploring now.

This episode examines a person’s relatively naive understanding of love and tests it to the limit. It shows how just believing in your love isn’t enough, you will have to actively fight to achieve it. You will have to be determined enough to fight down obstructions to achieving your love, and sometimes, this may involve sacrificing your loved ones.We see this when Geroge decides to kill his mother, Ushiromiya Eva, in the magic world. It is a metaphor for George deciding to leave the overprotective nest that his mother had trapped him in till now and leaving it to live a life of his own. It is a very human look into the character of George, who, before this, had always acted perfectly. It showed us his imperfections as a character and the reasons why he grew to become the seemingly perfect being that he is.

Another core theme completely unrelated to the previous theme is the relationship between the reader and the writer of mystery stories. They discuss in-depth the relationship between the reader and the writer and the concessions both sides have to make in order to move the story forward. The reader has to put their faith in the author that the story is solvable. And the author puts their time and effort into writing a story, with the hopes and belief that the reader will invest their time to solve the author’s puzzle. The reader will put as much love into the mystery as the author did. This belief fuels the author to move forward. Only when the author and the reader believe in each other can a story complete its purpose. This in itself is another interpretation of love. The love shared between the author and the reader fuels the story to soar to greater heights.

Finally, I would like to share my personal opinions on the Episode. This Episode is definitely the one I enjoyed the most. From start to end, the story, character interactions, and themes all created a final package that was extremely fun to read. And the last five minutes of this Episode are easily the most hype scene in the entire game, and in my top three scenes. The shameless look into the true essence of love was a perfect lead-in to Episode 7.

Requiem of the Golden Witch


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Episode 7 Character List

After the cheery, fun, and extravagant ending of Episode 6, this Episode takes a sharp turn to a more somber and grounded depiction. This is because it is finally time to raise the curtain on the most important question of the game, “Why was Beatrice created?”

The author decided to only explain the whydunit of the culprit, and so to reveal who the culprit is. But they don’t explain how the murders in each Episode took place. This is a very important and crucial theme of this story. The author, time and time again, urges the reader to try out the riddles of the story on their own. Rather than the answer being right or wrong, the important part is the process of engaging with the story and trying to solve its mystery. Keeping in vein with this theme, the author only cares to explain the emotional reasoning behind the culprit and what their “motive” was, rather than how they carried out the crimes.

The truth tends to be crueler than the false stories that adorn it. The stories may even be a convenient curtain to hide the ugly truth. Still, some would say finding out the truth is the right as well as the privilege of the reader. But the commonest of courtesies is not expecting the truth to be pretty. Or something that falls under your understanding. The truth is the truth, irrespective of your understanding of it. Thus, as readers, what we can do is calmly find out the truth and make peace with it.

Without love, it cannot be seen

The truth of this tale is draped with a tale of love. Love is as beautiful as it is cruel, and in this tale it had taken a person as its victim, transforming them into the Golden Witch Beatrice. Beatrice was just an extremely lonely girl, and in the meta-world of the game, what she wanted was for Battler to solve her puzzle. By solving her puzzle, he could understand the core of her heart, which was her deepest desire.

In the real world, the culprit was desperate and didn’t know what to do, so decided to carry out the Witch’s Epitaph to let the roulette wheel of fate decide on their fate. They had completely given up on deciding for themselves, as the choices were too hard for them, so they found it easier to let fate decide.

You can understand how the real motive was much more driven by desperation and tragedy. While Beatrice’s motives were very human, the motives of the real culprit were much more grounded in reality. The cruelty and desperation of their situation made their condition more understandable. Well, as understandable as murdering all people on an island can be.

And yet, this may not be the truth. A cat box adorned with multiple truths does not lead to the actual truth.
In Ange’s World of 1998, we find out that the first two Episodes of the game are well-known to the people of the world, as they had drifted onto the shores of Japan from Rokkenjima in glass bottles. These bottles contained the story of a witch Beatrice killing people in various fashions, which seems to be written by the witch Beatrice herself. After this, people started writing their own stories, reimagining the incidents of Rokkenjima. Of all these stories, the stories of Tohya Hachijo seem to resemble the original stories from the bottles closely. The reader discovers that she is the writer of all Episodes after 2, including Episode 3, in which Ushoromiya Eva survived and returned from Rokkenjima. A possibility that matches closely with what happened in reality.

This revelation opens a whole new possibility and interpretation of events for the reader. It enables the possibility that all stories told to this point were just fabrications, one of millions of possibilities present in the cat box that is Rokkenjima. None of them are the real representation of what actually happened in Rokkenjima, but rather a convenient fantasy masking reality.

While the heart of the truth may remain the same throughout all the fragments, the outcomes can vary wildly due to various circumstances, which can be seen in the varying outcomes of all the Episodes. But that doesn’t mean any of them represent the truth. This is a wildly interesting scenario that completely blew me away when I was reading it. It is such a unique interpretation of the basic cat box problem, and its implications throughout the story make it even more grand.

The character arcs of Battler and Beatrice were concluded at the end of Episode 6.
The truth of the Culprit was revealed and laid to rest in Episode 7.
What more is left to say? What is in store for us in Episode 8?

There is still one person who is not happy. Someone who hasn’t yet reached her truth.
A young girl named Ushiromiya Ange approached Battler, asking him about the truth. She had been searching for the truth her whole life and had made it her mission in life to achieve it. Since the Rokkenjima Massacres of 1986, 12 years may have passed, but she has still not moved on from that time. Even in 1998, the 18-year-old Ange is still a young child, searching for her family.
This is the tale of her journey.

Twilight of the Golden Witch


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Episode 8 Character List

Ange has spent all her life pursuing the one absolute truth that would explain the Rokkenjima Massacre. This pursuit of truth slowly changed from a pursuit to a desperate attempt to validate her belief that Ushiromiya Eva was the culprit. After all this searching, when she finally went to Battler in search of that truth, she expected to finally be able to find out the truth and go to sleep, forever.

But what awaited her was completely outside of her expectations. All the people she thought she knew, through the tales she had read in the various Episodes, were completely different here. Her stern grandfather, who was supposed to be extremely cruel, turned out to be a doting grandfather who loved his grandchildren and celebrated Halloween with them during the annual family conference. The siblings, who were supposed to be money-hungry vultures who schemed against each other, actually respected and cared for each other. This was a Rokkenjima that she had never seen or even imagined. Being so out of her range of expectations, she couldn’t even start to believe that this was the truth of that day in 1986.

This presented us with a very interesting theory. All the people that we, and Ange, know from Rokkenjima are just characters in the tales of various people. None of them were the actual people. And since Ange only knew them when she was young, she must have forgotten most things about them. It was possible that her grandfather was a strict person, but he could also be someone who adored his grandchildren. The truth of Rokkenjima was written over by the truth of the stories and opinions of the people in the future. It is easier to assume that the members of the Rokkenjima family are all scheming individuals rather than them being good people. And so the future rewrote their personality and character. And the ignorant child Ange was none the wiser.

While Ange wanted to single-mindedly pursue the truth, Battler wanted to teach her a more important lesson.
Does the red truth even matter? Why do the actual events of Rokkenjima on 5th October 1986 even matter? It cannot affect the Ange of the future, and it will not bring her any happiness knowing it. It is an extremely minute thing that can be ignored for more important things. Even if this cruel world has taken away her happiness and all reasons for her to live, she can create her own reason. Whether it is the absolute belief that her family is alive somewhere or that they are living their life happily in the magic world, Ange can craft her own truth with the power of belief, and no one will be capable of breaking her truth. Even the red truth of the masses, of certainty, has no power over the Gold Truth of belief. The ability to create her own happiness, and her own reason for living, is what makes Ange a witch.

I don’t think I was able to convey everything that I wanted to convey. My prose is not skilled enough to achieve that task. But I do hope that I was able to convey the few things that I needed to. This piece was as much of a journey of self-understanding as it was a breakdown of the story itself. This piece of fiction spoke many truths that I hold close to my heart and I found it to resonate closely with me. Whether I was able to convey that, only you, the reader, would know that.

I hope that this short article piqued your interest in this relatively unpopular series and made you want to experience it for yourself. If you think that I have explained most of the things in this story, you will be gravely mistaken. All I tried to convey was the potential of this series, even with my subpar interpretation skills. It is an extremely deep and multi-faceted story that expresses various truth and theories every time someone experiences this story. For reference, I haven’t explored any aspect of the mystery of this murder-mystery story.
If you are interested to the read the story, but are intimidated by the length, The manga is a perfect place to start with. It has stellar art, and is a mostly faithful adaptation of the story.

If you have stuck with my ramblings till the very end, I would like to convey my gratitude, I would be extremely pleased to hear of your opinions regarding it. Be it positive or negative.

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Contemporary Themes in Shounen and Radicalism



The theme of shonen is evergreen for some and bland and repetitive for some. But something has changed recently in this vast theme. Yes, the seemingly constant theme might be undergoing a change akin to tectonic plates! What do I mean? Hear me out…

Big 3: The Rise (and The Fall?)

A few popular names in anime are so classic for newcomers to anime, not only shonen, that they boast the title of “Big 3”. They are named so because millions of otakus worldwide have watched them, making them some of the “biggest” names in anime. The big three consist of “One Piece”, “Naruto”, and “Bleach”. There was even a time when the concept of “Big 4” reigned, including Dragon Ball and the Big 3.

Big 3 helped anime spread worldwide by being the front face of anime, and they are adored by fans even today. One Piece is a household name in Japan and has a very strong fandom worldwide. Japan even officially acknowledges 22nd July as “One Piece Day.”

These shows aren’t just big on viewers… they’re big on episodes, too! This is why many stop watching big anime after tasting one of the “Big 3”. Most veteran weebs consider the Big 3 as simplistic or overrated. With reasons stated and more, the current Big 3 are no longer considered the flagbearers of mainstream anime.

Changing trends in the Big 3

Naruto is over. No one knows when or how the One Piece will end. Bleach is full of fillers, but it’s peak right now with the final arc airing. The days of Big 3 are nearly ending. Or is it “mou shindeiru” (already dead), given Naruto ended?

Well, faster than you, many anime theorists (with an M.Weeb degree) have already theorised many combinations of the “new Big 3”. Many of them include Demon Slayer, Hunter X Hunter, My Hero Academia or One Piece (yes, again). It kind of makes sense, as the only criteria are being popular and pushing the anime fandom to more overseas reach. Which would’ve worked before, but with time, newer anime seem more deserving of this big title than some 2010 anime. This is largely due to the new spike in anime watchers post-pandemic, which has changed the battleground quite a bit. The more “modern” anime that gain public attention differ a lot from their predecessors. That brings us to the next topic:

What is considered the popular shounen these days? The case of JJK and CSM.

Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK) and Chainsaw Man (CSM) are like buzzwords in more recent shounen anime. JJK owes its popularity to the humongous number of memes and the Gojo fanbase (which is much bigger than Itadori’s, by the way). CSM is wild and doesn’t seem to have any filter. Yep, that’s pretty much it. The article is done, and before you click away to the next article, wait because I was just kidding.

Why JJK and CSM are similar? Why are they popular with the current generations?

First similarity: Both have non-mc characters with more following than the MC.

Yeah just kidding. These shows are loved partly because they feel different from the shounen thus far. They start with the MC getting their power in the first few episodes, doing something big, and forming a team of friends. Seems like a typical shounen, right? Well nope! They are popular for the ruthless killing of fan-favourite characters and won’t hesitate to put MC aside or in hell as long as the chaos continues.

Both shows are radical compared to all the popular shounen thus far, and both show glimpses of seinen. Denji is always after women… bro sets his life goals like “go on a date” or “have a girlfriend”. He grew up in poverty and did many things that closely resemble the mangaka’s own experience with poverty. JJK has families with internal conflict (Zenin family), human-curse experimentation (cursed-womb brothers), and societal issues (context: Gojo says that he doesn’t like the higher-ups, and that’s why he decided to be a teacher).

It has a quick plot, which occasionally catches you off guard because of its differences from classic shounen.

Whenever one of MC’s friends dies in classic shounen anime, it becomes a stage for character development or signifies the end or beginning of a major plot point. As such, such deaths are used only a few times in the older shounen. On the other hand, in CSM, Denji’s many acquaintances and friends died a seemingly pointless death. The deaths are not dragged across chapters and happen very quickly, as if an earthquake has come and done its thing. In JJK, the world doesn’t revolve around MC like it does in usual anime. He has a lot of power but not enough power to change the fate of those surrounding him, rendering him useless and giving him the equivalence of a useless nobody.

Whenever something major happens in these shows, it’s not meticulously expressed or explained so that every Tom, Dick, and Harry can understand it in a single glance. As mentioned, it happens quickly with little explanation, leaving viewers and readers with many questions. I would love to give examples, but many wonderful scenarios are currently manga-only. For now, the best one would be Nanami’s death. No one was expecting that. It was quick, Itadori’s response was instantaneous, and though everyone held grief over Nanami from inside, it was not expressed anywhere apart from Itadori’s fit of rage.

Both CSM and JJK take place in a modern city world. They don’t take place in another world or realm like isekai or Bleach for example. They don’t happen in a world where everyone has superpowers (e.g. MHA or OPM). They didn’t happen way back in ancient Japan (e.g. Demon Slayer) or in a secluded region with a cultural group (e.g. Naruto). They. Happen. In. Modern. Cities. Yep! And both protagonists and antagonists duel in the city itself! These signify modernity in their themes.

Hunter X Hunter: A hint of modern shounen from the old era

Hunter X Hunter is hailed as the father of modern shounen by some. While I leave it to the reader’s opinion whether they believe it to be true, Hunter X Hunter has shown that a shounen anime can be ruthless and cruel, which became a domino effect for many later shounen manga.

Conclusion

Needless to say, these shows are special. They are changing the face of shounen in the public's minds and paving the way to escape the “old shounen cliche cycle”. The contemporary Big 3, if it was present, would definitely have CSM or JJK in it. Or, at least, these can be called the foundation for what would become the 2020s’ Big 3.

Assassination Classroom vs. Assassinated Classroom



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As a college student, watching Assassination Classroom felt like opening a window in a stuffy, lifeless lecture hall. The show isn’t just about a bunch of kids trying to assassinate their overpowered alien teacher, Koro-sensei. It’s about the kind of teaching we all secretly (or not-so-secretly) wish we had.

Watching Koro-sensei teach his students with energy, empathy, and ingenuity made me realize just how mundane and frustrating my own classes have become. While he’s out there dodging bullets and blowing up mountains to teach his students life lessons, I’m here in a classroom where slides are treated as sacred texts, professors are allergic to creativity, and even glancing at your phone feels like committing a felony.

Let me break down the lessons Koro-sensei taught me, and how they clash spectacularly with my college reality.


1. Slides that could put you in a coma / Slides: The Modern day sleep potion

My professors seem to have a binding contract with PowerPoint, treating slides like they’re the pinnacle of education. They read directly off the screen, in a tone so lifeless it could make even caffeine give up. Imagine a slide titled "Importance of Topic X," and the professor just drones, “This slide explains the importance of Topic X.” Wow, revolutionary insight.

They treat them like the gospel, reading them word-for-word without so much as a pause for drama. And let me tell you, they’re not even good slides. The occasional misspelling makes me wonder if their preparation strategy involves a blindfold and a dartboard.

Meanwhile, Koro-sensei would never settle for something so basic. He doesn’t just read to his students—he dives headfirst into their world. He’d turn that slide into an explosive demonstration involving watermelons, fireworks, and a speedboat—just to get the point across. My professors, on the other hand, would probably panic if the projector broke and cancel the class entirely, because they’ve got nothing else to offer.



2. No Phones, No Naps, No Freedom

Koro-sensei’s classroom is an open battlefield of learning. If Koro-sensei walked into our classroom, he’d probably say, “Use your phones, take a nap, heck, do a backflip if it helps you focus!” My professors? They patrol the rows like hawks, ready to pounce if you so much as glance at your phone. Heaven forbid you check a message or, worse, Google something relevant to the lecture.

And don’t even dream about napping. They’d rather you sit there, wide-eyed, absorbing absolutely nothing, than let you catch a sneaky 5-minute power nap. The moment you lean back in your chair or rest your head on your hand, they pounce with the precision of a hawk. “Is this class boring you?” they ask, as if their monotone delivery and endless slides didn’t answer that question already. Koro-sensei? He’d toss me a pillow and say, “Recharge for five minutes; you’ll need the energy for the assassination drill later!”



3. “Engagement” vs “Entanglement”

Koro-Sensei is the kind of teacher who’d use your hobbies, interests, and even your insecurities to create lessons you’d never forget. My professors? Their idea of engagement is asking, “Any questions?” while glaring at us like we’re trespassing on their nap time.

But when you actually ask a question, they look at you like you just confessed to a crime. Sometimes, they don’t even bother answering properly—they just vaguely gesture at the slide and say, “It’s written here.” Koro-sensei, though? He would’ve answered with a full demonstration, complete with sound effects, metaphors, and maybe a fireworks display.



4. Why Can’t We Just… Work on our Stuff?

The sheer audacity of professors to demand our undivided attention while teaching badly is mind-boggling. Sometimes, all I want to do is quietly work on a project for another class, catch up on assignments, or just scroll through memes to survive the lecture. But no—my professors insist on undivided attention while droning on about things I could read faster myself. Koro-sensei would’ve turned this into an opportunity: “Work on what inspires you! Just make sure you assassinate the learning targets by the end!”



5. Failure: The Forbidden Topic

Koro-sensei teaches his students that failure is just a stepping stone. He encourages them to mess up—because every mistake is an opportunity to learn. My professors, on the other hand, treat failure like a moral failing. Miss one assignment, and you’re labelled as a slacker for the rest of the semester. Got a D grade? Might as well pack up your dreams and head for the hills.

Imagine if professors encouraged risk-taking instead of punishing every misstep. Koro-sensei would’ve turned failures into battle scars of learning. I’d kill (figuratively) for a teacher who says, “You’re bad at this right now, but let’s make you great.” Instead, I get, “The average grade is B. Try harder.”



6. Overemphasis on Obedience

There’s this strange obsession with discipline in college. My professors act like they’re drill sergeants, demanding perfect silence and unwavering attention. Koro-sensei, on the other hand, embraces chaos. He knows that a little freedom and laughter lead to better learning. In his class, you’d hear laughter and the occasional explosion, but everyone would still ace their exams.

In my classes, it’s all about control. No talking. No laughing. No breathing too loudly. It’s like attending a live reading of the world’s most boring audiobook.



7. They Take Themselves Way Too Seriously

One thing I adore about Koro-sensei is how he doesn’t mind being the butt of the joke. Koro-sensei wears costumes, cracks jokes, and embraces chaos to connect with his students. My professors? Their egos are more fragile than my Wi-Fi connection. If you so much as chuckle during class, they’ll glare at you like you just insulted their ancestors.

They act like they’re delivering a TED Talk to an audience of Nobel laureates. Smile too much, and they’ll glare at you. Laugh at a funny example, and they’ll think you’re mocking their authority. They forget that learning isn’t supposed to feel like attending a funeral for your brain cells.



8. The Fine Art of Roasting with Love

Koro-sensei’s insults are legendary, but they come with a purpose. When he calls Nagisa a “tiny, adorable assassin” or Karma a “lazy genius,” it’s always to push them toward their potential. My professors? If they roast you, it’s accidental, like when they mispronounce your name so badly that you start questioning your own identity.

Imagine if they actually knew us well enough to joke like that. But nah, they’re too busy squinting at the attendance sheet, trying to figure out if you’re even in the right class.



9. Innovation? What’s that?

Koro-sensei teaches through creativity—turning math into a game, history into a story, and science into an action movie. My professors? They recycle the same lecture notes from ten years ago, sometimes even forgetting to update the date on the title slide. It’s like being taught by a robot programmed in the early 2000s.



10. Lessons Beyond the Classroom

Koro-sensei knows his students — every strength, every weakness, every dream. My professors? I’m not sure they even know what subjects they’re teaching some days. There’s no mutual respect, no effort to understand us as individuals. It’s all about maintaining authority. Koro-sensei would never waste time on ego; he’d focus on building trust and connection.

Every lesson Koro-sensei teaches feels like a blockbuster event. He makes his students dodge bullets to teach teamwork, or sets up elaborate scenarios to explain moral dilemmas. My professors? The most dramatic thing they’ve done is write “IMPORTANT” in bold red letters on a slide.

Spoiler: it wasn’t important.


## What I’ve Learned?

Watching Assassination Classroom was a bittersweet experience. On one hand, it showed me how transformative and exciting education could be. On the other hand, it made me painfully aware of how uninspiring my own college experience often feels.

Koro-sensei taught me that education isn’t about rigid rules, rote memorization, or mindless obedience. It’s about creativity, connection, and curiosity. He showed me that failure is a stepping stone, not a dead end; that learning can be chaotic, fun, and deeply personal.

So while I can’t expect my professors to grow tentacles or teach at Mach 20, I can still take these lessons to heart. I can look for inspiration beyond the classroom, embrace failure as part of the process, and—most importantly—remember that learning doesn’t have to be as boring as a PowerPoint slide.

If Koro-sensei can teach a group of misfit kids to excel while dodging assassination attempts, maybe there’s hope for me too. Or at least hope for a nap during class without getting caught.


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