Y'know, each of these chapters could've been a oneshot, they've got enough content in them to make up a complete tale with a good ending, but they also build towards a bigger and even more complex story.
Thanks for another chapter :))) Also wanted to know your thoughts on the first few pages relating to Junko's dream. There's alot of symbolism and all going on in there
Well, the flood and drowning are pretty obvious, as for the Yamanote Line, well, train tracks usually represent fate so I see that as her being unable to get her life on track (pun intended) and it works well with her character because she is self-destructive and has low self esteem so she is looking up at her life passing by while she is drowning far below it. Takao is a child because it represents the fact that they communicate less and less than when they were kids, it's a feeling of alienation and her desire for things to be liked they used to. I'm not sure about the hawaii clothes but my guess (might be a long shot) would be that her parents are "always on vacation" so she feels like she can't ever depend on them, it's a way of saying that they're out of her life but that it didn't happen because of abuse or some big fight. What about you? What do you think the hawaiian clothes represent? Or your thoughts about the other symbolism in that scene?
Omg i totally agree with your perspective. Gosh I'm not very good at analysing stuff! But I'll certainly try. Firstly I believe the haiwaiian shirts pretty much show that her parents used to be chill and pleasant (like hawaii!).
I think the general idea that was being conveyed is the yearning Junko feels for a better time in her past, that would probably mean a time where she had a nicer relationship with her brother. And yeah i feel like you're right about Takao being deaged here is a sign that she got along with him better when they were young. I also feel like it's maybe representing being young and innocent and the loss of it with the passage of time like the train metaphor which has to run its course on schedule in an organised fashion, everyone she knows and loves are keeping up with it and leaving her to drown. So I'm definitely getting some vibes of abandonment from those she was once closer to (like her brother) and that she carries that grudge with her even now.
By not addressing these feelings, she may have confused these feelings of yearning for being closer to her brother like the old times for romantic love I guess?
Haha, your hawaiian clothes interpretation is an even longer shot than mine ^_^ but it was so cute. I guess I am cheating a bit because I've read the entire thing already but she doesn't really have any abandonment issues and the distance that formed between her and her family was not really caused by anything, they just drifted. And there's another thing that I don't wanna address because it would spoil >_>. It's really cool that you took such an interest in a small scene like that, it shows that you really like to interact with the story and not just look at the plot on the surface ≧◠‿◠≦✌
Okazaki is soo good indeed!! Btw, backreading yall's comments about Junko's dream is really entertaining lmao. I'm not sure about the deal with the hawaiian shirts either, but I feel it has something to do with her desires being uncomfortable, morally speaking. Her parents approving of her feelings is as unlikely as the japanese wearing hawaiian shirts as formal attire. It also reminds me of the general vibe Okazaki's mcs have of being detached from "normal" life (especially someone like, say, Yumi form pink). They're so uninterested in abiding by societal standards that they don't even notice these expected conducts. Those are my baseless guesses ^^
Thx for the chaps btw,, literally doing the lords work <3
Oh yeah, I actually made a comment about it when we finished Tokyo Girls Bravo, that one seems like a departure for Okazaki because the protagonist is... pretty normal. One thing's for certain though, the hawaiian clothes thing will continue to delude us all until we find an interview with Okazaki herself talking about it š. At the very least, seeing them in hawaiian clothes in that one panel is really funny.
Thanks for another chapter :)))
ReplyDeleteAlso wanted to know your thoughts on the first few pages relating to Junko's dream. There's alot of symbolism and all going on in there
Well, the flood and drowning are pretty obvious, as for the Yamanote Line, well, train tracks usually represent fate so I see that as her being unable to get her life on track (pun intended) and it works well with her character because she is self-destructive and has low self esteem so she is looking up at her life passing by while she is drowning far below it. Takao is a child because it represents the fact that they communicate less and less than when they were kids, it's a feeling of alienation and her desire for things to be liked they used to. I'm not sure about the hawaii clothes but my guess (might be a long shot) would be that her parents are "always on vacation" so she feels like she can't ever depend on them, it's a way of saying that they're out of her life but that it didn't happen because of abuse or some big fight.
DeleteWhat about you? What do you think the hawaiian clothes represent? Or your thoughts about the other symbolism in that scene?
Omg i totally agree with your perspective. Gosh I'm not very good at analysing stuff! But I'll certainly try. Firstly I believe the haiwaiian shirts pretty much show that her parents used to be chill and pleasant (like hawaii!).
ReplyDeleteI think the general idea that was being conveyed is the yearning Junko feels for a better time in her past, that would probably mean a time where she had a nicer relationship with her brother. And yeah i feel like you're right about Takao being deaged here is a sign that she got along with him better when they were young. I also feel like it's maybe representing being young and innocent and the loss of it with the passage of time like the train metaphor which has to run its course on schedule in an organised fashion, everyone she knows and loves are keeping up with it and leaving her to drown. So I'm definitely getting some vibes of abandonment from those she was once closer to (like her brother) and that she carries that grudge with her even now.
By not addressing these feelings, she may have confused these feelings of yearning for being closer to her brother like the old times for romantic love I guess?
Haha, your hawaiian clothes interpretation is an even longer shot than mine ^_^ but it was so cute. I guess I am cheating a bit because I've read the entire thing already but she doesn't really have any abandonment issues and the distance that formed between her and her family was not really caused by anything, they just drifted. And there's another thing that I don't wanna address because it would spoil >_>. It's really cool that you took such an interest in a small scene like that, it shows that you really like to interact with the story and not just look at the plot on the surface ≧◠‿◠≦✌
DeleteOkazaki is soo good indeed!!
ReplyDeleteBtw, backreading yall's comments about Junko's dream is really entertaining lmao. I'm not sure about the deal with the hawaiian shirts either, but I feel it has something to do with her desires being uncomfortable, morally speaking. Her parents approving of her feelings is as unlikely as the japanese wearing hawaiian shirts as formal attire. It also reminds me of the general vibe Okazaki's mcs have of being detached from "normal" life (especially someone like, say, Yumi form pink). They're so uninterested in abiding by societal standards that they don't even notice these expected conducts. Those are my baseless guesses ^^
Thx for the chaps btw,, literally doing the lords work <3
Oh yeah, I actually made a comment about it when we finished Tokyo Girls Bravo, that one seems like a departure for Okazaki because the protagonist is... pretty normal.
DeleteOne thing's for certain though, the hawaiian clothes thing will continue to delude us all until we find an interview with Okazaki herself talking about it š. At the very least, seeing them in hawaiian clothes in that one panel is really funny.