Author Topic: Relationships between ShiSafu and NezuShi concerning the Japanese society  (Read 1268 times)

listenforthelove

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Interesting points you make there, especially with the comparisons to Japanese society! You're right, it's absolutely reminiscent of the Japanese educational system. I wonder if it's intentional (if No. 6 is where Japan once was - I don't think any countries we know were mentioned save for the UK in the anime? But correct me if I'm wrong here), or if it's because of Asano writing from her own cultural background. It's a little hard to tell. Or maybe it's both, as a commentary on the real situation.


You're right, there's a very distinct lack of interaction between Safu and Shion, though of course we see them through each other's eyes rather than omniscient view, colouring the image a bit. Safu can only think about Shion because she's in love with him and is worried for him, but Shion has got other things on his mind for most of the time, like I don't know, trying not to die. Though it IS very interesting how worked up he gets at the thought of Nezumi being around, even four years later, after just the one night. (I silently wonder just how often he's freaked out before, thinking Nezumi might be around.)

I guess Safu and Shion mostly kept in touch via phone or internet, rather than meeting up in person a lot, likely because they were busy and living in other sides of the city, though it's still strange that Karan has not even seen her in four years. Maybe Safu wasn't really allowed to go there, hence them meeting up elsewhere? She had to be home again before curfew after all, so maybe they just didn't have a lot of time to meet up in person after school and work. Hm, though I just searched for Safu in volume 3 and realized that Karan is going to visit her house in Chronos, so you'd think Safu would be allowed in Lost Town in return.

As for Safu only asking after four years just why Shion didn't enter the special course, I chalked it up as a combination of need for exposition and Safu probably figuring back then that it was something he didn't want to talk about (or even couldn't). But you're right, it's odd it takes her four years. Maybe she asked before and never got an answer, but only now decides to persevere until she gets one because she figures it's been long enough?

Shion, to me, seems to regard her more like family, like he says - someone who's been around for forever and will always be around, even if you don't talk to them very often. That doesn't mean he loves her as less than a very good friend, but it's more like he's taking her presence in his life for granted, a relationship you don't really have to work at because you're already connected. They've been around each other since the age of two, after all. His reaction when he finds her coat is genuine, and I don't think it's just guilt - he's already upset before he realizes all the implications.

But it's pretty hard to judge their relationship in the novels at least, because we see so little of their time together there compared to the rest of the story, and Shion is pretty preoccupied in the moments we see from his perspective (like dead bodies on his mind, always fun stuff). I do think the fact that they've known each other since they were two comes into play here. Nezumi was different: Shion met him for one night when he was twelve, Nezumi was new and exciting and came from somewhere else. Safu has been around for as long as he can remember, in the same environment. She's safe and he's used to her being around. Safu is just - there, so she's  'there' in the narrative; no need to built up the relationship since it's always been there already for Shion. Their relationship is more evened out, as composed as the environment they were raised in. Nezumi on the other hand throws everything upside down.


I do think Shion really cherished Safu, but that the narrative just didn't really allow for it to show all that often. He has so many other things on his mind by the end of the novels that the focus shifts away from Safu for a while, plus he saw her just moments before - he even refused to acknowledge she might be gone despite the signs. He'll likely take a while to accept that fact, especially since he was already prepared to not seeing her for two years because of her exchange before finding out something was wrong. But now she's honestly, truly never going to come back, and that's hard to accept. There was no body, she's just - gone. It's so much easier to gloss over that fact, pretend nothing is wrong for a while, since he already wasn't going to see her for some time, and focus on the immediate matters. The blow will come later. (At least speaking from experience, sorry for projecting that onto you, Shion!)


Ack, sorry for the rambling, I hope that made sense and that I didn't say anything strange or out of character for them >_< (I must confess it's been a little while since I properly read the first novels, so I'm relying on memory and quick searches here, ack) Please, absolutely correct me if I'm out of line here!