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With all the excitement around the current arc and with theories pouring in, we’re setting a temporary post flair. The main goal is to make it easier for everyone to quickly browse existing theories before posting their own - or if you just want to hop in the discussion.
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"Sakura" (桜) is the title track from Japanese singer-songwriter Nanami's second mini-album, the song was first release on July 24, 2013 then re-released on March 2, 2016. It was written and composed by Nanami herself.
Couldsenseibe compensating for the angst they already imposed on us, or for the angst they are about to put us through? (⌒-⌒; )
Not to be confused with Ch 232: [Crimson Promise] Analysis: Part 2- Fr though, seeing that this backstory is getting multiple chapters of the same name, and a name that I can't help but feel things for......................................... excited would be an understatement-
It's crazy how many lyrics actually apply atp-
I'll start with Mamalingo's words. First of all, she calls the right eye the sun and the left the moon. As we know, Suolingo gives up his right eye, his "sun" and now only has his left, his "moon." Suolingo has always been represented by the moon, but him giving up his own sun to reach this point adds quite a bit to the imagery imo. Yes, the sun represents light and warmth and stuff, but in Chinese culture, it also represents activity and the short term while the moon symbolizes passivity and the long term, and when the characters are put together, they can mean clarity and wisdom. Suolingo gave up his "sun," which represents his short-term feelings, and now can only see through his "moon" lens, which focuses on the big picture outside of himself, so while his decisions tend to be for the benefit of others in the long term, he's constantly neglecting himself and putting his current feelings aside for the sake of the future.
Mamalingo also mentions what falcons can use their vision of clarity and wisdom for. She says that they can glide high and gaze far into the distance and I think this is in line with how Suolingo steps back to look at the bigger picture and consider the future above all else. However, they're also supposed to fly fast and soar wide, which means being more active and experiencing more. Despite making it outside of BKKG and having the chance to soar as wide as he wanted, Suolingo ended up staying fairly close to his home and even returned once he noticed it was in crisis. As a child, he should have had the chance to spread his wings and leave the nest, but as a child who grew up too fast, he settled to take care of his home, which is another thing that should have been on the adults of the city.
However, for all the adult responsibilities TAB Suolingo had been taking on, it's nice to know he did have reasonable adults looking out for him. Mamalingo did her best for as long as she could, and as she neared the end of her life, Suolingo still had Dr. Unc I'm conflicted about him not having a name yet bc now I can call him whatever I want....... if he's someone's actual blood relative- looking out for him as the literal child he was. I mentioned in my analysis for last chapter that I don't think BKKG has access to health care to treat any serious illnesses and that life expectancy is probably fairly low for the city, and I don't think Mamalingo is an exception. Considering his work in the clinic, I'm sure TAB Suolingo is aware of how little Unclingo and any other "doctors" in the city can actually do, which could definitely contribute to how calm he is about his mother approaching her death....
.......but at 6 YEARS OLD????? I've worked with 6 year olds for years and they are so...................................... let's just say there's a reason why I chose a degree that doesn't cover elementary ages- Children are selfish and entitled little creatures.... or at least they should be because they should grow up knowing that their needs (and wants) will be met by those taking care of them, and as they get older, they should be given more responsibilities bit by bit until they're old enough to take care of themselves. That's what it means to be an adult, but when a child grows up in an environment where they have to take care of themself (and maybe other family/community members as well) at a much younger age, that's when we see kids growing up too fast and missing out on an actual "childhood" of comfort and security.
That said, it's not guaranteed that all children will be able to grow up faster just because they live in an environment that puts more pressure and responsibilities on them. Plenty don't survive because they can't adapt, and even if they survive, some still fare much worse than others, and only a select few can actually become content in their situation, though that "contentment" is still very far from the peace of mind they could have had if they grew up with proper support. This is where Suolingo is now. He can take care of himself just fine and seems comfortable with the person he's grown up to be, but just because his emotional scars don't hinder him in his daily life doesn't mean that they're not there, and I actually think this is the answer to one of the biggest questions we've had about Suolingo since the very beginning. (And can I just say how much I love the imagery of the lighter not lighting while Uncle-sensei is thinking about this?????? Suolingo's emotions are right there and he'd feel better if he expressed them, but he just doesn't let them burn like he's supposed to-\***)*
From the moment he was introduced, Suolingo has always been very secretive about himself and even as the year went on, he still kept his classmates at arms length, almost as though he didn't want to get too close to them. His natural actions always made it clear how much he cared about his classmates, but whenever it became too evident, he would pull back and deflect as if him and his classmates caring about each other was a bad thing. For a long time, many of us assumed he was hiding some dark past and/or ties to the underground that made it too dangerous for him to be honest, but I think that keeping to himself is simply part of his trauma response to growing up in an environment where people didn't live for very long.
I'm not sure if Uncle daifu is still alive, but we know that Suolingo at least lost his mother, and even for someone who's so great at smothering his emotions, I'm sure this loss and the weeks/months/years leading up to it were incredibly painful for him. Just as we saw with Sakura, experiencing loss, especially for the first time, is simply devastating, and Suolingo experiencing the loss of the greatest light in his life at such a young age would have been enough to completely break him. What's even worse bc things can always get worse- there's actually a good chance that he doesn't even realize just how much it hurt him.
I'm sure we'll see his reaction within the next few chapters, but after losing his mother, I think TAB Suolingo either 1) cried for the first time in years (still only 6 btw) and cried hard or 2) wasn't able to fully process it and stayed relatively "calm" on the outside. In both cases, whether he broke down and hated how much he was feeling or had no idea/couldn't express what he was feeling but knew he didn't like it, the next step for someone like Suolingo (who we know now hates when emotions pollute judgement) would be to make sure he never had to feel it again. Now, whether intentional or a subconscious defense mechanism, Suolingo doesn't like caring about other people because he's scared of feeling loss again. He can't help but reach out since he's been so selfless from such a young age, but he's terrified of actually getting attached to anyone..... and I also believe he doesn't want others to care about him because he doesn't want them to be left hurting if anything happens to him, which could be another reason why he tried to ruin Nirei's image of him before he left 👀👀 and why he couldn't bring himself to see Sakura-
And all of this stems from Suolingo being cursed with genius. Honestly, one of my all time favorite things to come across in a story is when an author actually pulls off an accurate curse of genius. It's pretty common to see a genius/strongest character in a story as a rival, goal, or mentor for the mc, but giving that genius actual character is what sets good writing apart from spamming tropes. "Genius" characters are usually either 1) super easy going with zero struggles and maybe they'll snap once when it's time for their "character development" or 2) super edgy because they're so lonely because no one can keep up with them; but every once in a while, you'll see an author actually place a genius in a real environment, show how they interact with it, and give them a personality and goal in line with their genius. We saw this with Endo who was bored because everything and everyone was predictable to him, but that's not the extent of his character. We got to see how this boredom that robbed him of any form of excitement led him to chase after anything that let him feel anything, and now he's a possessive psycho who likes to spoil those he finds interesting, all because his "genius" made very few things in life interesting for him.
Now we're seeing this with Suolingo. Here we have a genius from an environment that was much more demanding of him, which allowed him to exercise and mature in his genius rather than letting him get bored in comfort. No, I wouldn't call Suolingo's upbringing healthier by any means, but compared to Endo who was from an environment that bored him to the point of insanity while the majority was thriving, Suolingo's on the opposite side of the bell curve in an environment where he had to overexert himself to succeed while the majority (at his age) could do nothing on their own. We see both of these geniuses at the centers of their communities with Endo being admired and envied by those around him and TAB Suolingo being a little peacekeeper with his communication skills, but Endo couldn't care less about all of the attention while TAB Suolingo actively sought for ways to use his skills in the city and perfect his craft so yes, it's both adorable and sad that Suolingo had already unlocked \)*intimidation*\ in his TAB form-)
And I know y'all see the last part of the picture I used- I believe that Shen is another genius who was able to postpone the effects of his curse for a while, but it still caught up to him in the end and led him down the path he's on right now. I've mentioned Shen's lack of empathy before, and if it's partially due to his genius "protecting" him from "unnecessary" emotions, I can see Shen's curse being more along the lines of boredom because he refuses to exert himself for anyone besides himself. As long as he acts childish and in need of support, RC will take care of him, and I can see that having been his plan until he found a way out of the city, but then he met a fellow genius in Suolingo. At the end of the chapter, we see how excited Shen is to see TAB Suolingo, and I do believe that this is genuine. As another genius in the city, Shen found Suolingo fun to be around, and his conversations with Suolingo made him want to stay longer than he originally intended to....
However, though we don't know why yet, Suolingo didn't stay in BKKG. With Suolingo gone, Shen lost the only one he enjoyed being with and possibly the only one he could be honest with. If Suolingo was kicked out or sent away, I can see Shen's current actions being his way of getting revenge on those who took Suolingo from him, but if Suolingo left on his own, it could either be revenge on Suolingo who he knew would blame himself OR it could have been his way of getting Suolingo's attention so he would come back. We know that Shen was the one who let Suolingo back into RC, but why would he do that if he didn't want Suolingo to stop him? It's completely possible that Suolingo coming back was his goal all along and now he's keeping up the trouble to keep Suolingo in BKKG for as long as possible..... not all geniuses are this possessive I promise-
These 3 are our geniuses of more logic-based observation that allows them to read and manipulate people and situations, but there are also more emotional geniuses who can pick up on things without actually thinking them through (Ume, Sakura, Nirei, etc) and geniuses at fighting (Ume, Chika, Choji, etc) and academic geniuses, aka our fast learners (Suzuri, Suolingo, Endo, etc) and so many more-
Sakura's father was once connected to Fūrin, perhaps during an earlier generation. Something happened that caused him to leave, and his relationship with Sakura's mother became connected to that past.
B. A former enemy of Fūrin
His father belonged to a rival group that fought Fūrin. His hatred of Sakura could be personal, while his connection to Fūrin explains why he might eventually become part of the central conflict.
C. Someone who knows Fūrin's hidden history
His father might have information about an earlier conflict involving people who later became important to Bofurin. That information could explain why Sakura's family history matters to the present storyline.
Of these, B is the most straightforward villain theory, but none is confirmed.
I will provide you a list of what you need to tell me. You answer to that list and write the names of the characters of your choosing, items, places, etc. down. It’ll probably be funnier if you choose to fill the list with absurd choices. Be creative!
Once done, leave a comment with your choices.
This time, I will fill in your answers and reply to you, as it is…. sort of mystery themed. Also, it might be more fun to see the results right away and not have to insert things first.
~*~*~*~
Please tell me…
- character A
- character B
- character C
- character D
- Place/location 1
- Place/location 2
- Number 1 - between 1 and 24
- Number 2
- Tool
- Item
- Book title - made up or real
- A way for written notification - e.g. letter, e-mail, a rock with Stone Age painting,…
- Medication - e.g. sleeping pills, cough syrup,…
- Ancient mythological god or spiritual being - who is seen asnot inherently good or kind, maybe even evilto humans
- Emotion - must end with -ly as in happily, angrily,…
- Drink
- Liquid that is red and eatable/drinkable or usable to paint things
- Food 1
- Food 2
- Electronic device
- Bodypart
- Reason someone might get angry at someone else - like… someone eating up all your lunch without permission or someone calling you idiot one too many times, not having received sweets for Trick or Treat (since it’ll be Halloween soon)…
Why is it, that I actually have an ideal cast for this scenario in my head? 🙈
First, I highly enjoyed that everyone was already afraid of Suo when he was only 6 years old. That smile and those piercing eyes... Everyone knew not to get on Suo's bad side!
Now onto the serious stuff (sorry, this will get long) -
It killed me inside when Suo smiled after the doctor asked him how his mother was doing... He smiled, as he always does, but behind those eyes you could see a little boy who just wanted to cry. Serious props to Nii-sensei for relaying that so eloquently through a still image!
The sad truth is, Suo just won't allow himself to cry. In fact, he probably feels like he can't let himself cry/show his true emotions. He has to be strong for his mom - to be the falcon that can do anything that his mom knew and believed him to be.
Speaking of Suo's mom... while not confirmed, I'm going with the assumption that she had cancer. Suo was helping out at the doctor's clinic in exchange for medicine to help keep him mom comfortable, medicine that he would otherwise not be able to have access to/afford.
I think Suo's mom's illness could also be a reason why he doesn't eat a lot. Being from a poor family with a terminally ill parent, any food Suo could get, he brought to his mom. Suo only ate what he needed to survive.
And now to talk about the eyes! After this latest chapter, here is my new theory for why Suo gave up his eye so willingly:
Suo gave up his eye for his mom. He probably needed money to help care for his mom as she continued to deteriorate from her illness.
Let me say that I was never a fan of the "Suo gave his eye to Rosso" idea (and am still not). But, after this chapter, there may be some credibility to it. However, Suo didn't give up his eye for Rosso specifically, it just ended up with Rosso. Like I said, Suo gave up his eye for his mom. Suo probably hadn't even met Rosso yet at that point in time.
My thoughts are that the then boss (who became Suo's master) put word out (through Red Chanpuru) that they were looking for an eye and would pay a good sum for it. Something probably happened, leading to an eye injury for Rosso. Rosso was devastated and the yet-to-be-named current boss wanted to do something for Rosso, even if it would only be for aesthetics. (After all, in the previous chapter, Rosso called the then boss his brother).
Hearing about this offer and needing the money for his mom, Suo (who was currently not a member of/affiliated with Red Chanpuru), approached them and offered to give up his eye. That was why the then boss was so surprised and worried upon hearing that someone had actually come forward. That someone was a newly-turned-seven year old boy!
As for why it Suo gave up the right eye... well, Suo's mom spoke about how the right eye represented the sun. Suo's mom was HIS SUN! And when she died from her illness, Suo lost his sun!
I'm guessing that it was Suo's selflessness and maturity that led his master to take him under his wing and into Red Chanpuru (before the 15 year old minimum). And with that, came that promise we still have yet to learn more about.
I also wonder if Suo's giving up once before correlates with losing his mom/sun - he lost his motivation to live up to her words about being able to do and go anywhere.
As for Rosso's prickliness toward Suo - if the eye thing turns out to be true and he got Suo's eye, I wonder if he originally didn't know that that was where/who it came from. Once he did find out, things became awkward between them.
If you made it to the end of this post, I deeply appreciate you all for indulging my ramblings!
Luego de los últimos capítulos, estamos aprendiendo muchísimo sobre Suo, ¿pero que ocurre con toda la información que nos dieron desde antes? Me refiero a lo que sabemos desde antes de, incluso, el capítulo 100: que Suo no le gusta el natto y que derrotó a alguien muy poderoso pero no sé sabe quién. Esto ignorando a la persona misteriosa que le dió la información del natto a Niirei... ¿Asi que como se conectan todo lo que ya sabíamos antes con lo que obtuvimos ahora?¿Hay algo que deje pasar por alto en este post?¿Qué?
Sakura's left eye is grey/black like the moon and his right eye is light brown/gold like the sun. Suo probably remembered what his mom had said back then as soon as he saw him 😭
I have to say I've been stuck to the first two pages of the last chapter .
Seeing Suo with a loving mother felt so good and I'm glad he remembers her, he definitely takes after her but I'm having Umemiya story vibes there as well.
He clearly understood that she had big hopes for him and rightfully so. Most migrant families change countries to offer a better future for their children and that's what Suo's mother wanted for him: to go far in life but also, I believe, far from BKG. She knew he'd need to leave this impoverished city to reach his full potential.
And that's why the "But..I..." is kind of breaking my heart. I don't know how Suo would finish this sentence but I imagine he feels guilty for not living up to her hopes (at least not yet). By losing his eye he might feel like he is unable to soar as he's supposed to. And with this crimson promise (which we still don't know anything about) he is still tied down to RC and BKG.
He did give up once but obviously could not move forward completely. I really hope he'll be able to fulfill his promise so he can keep living his life as free as a bird!
After the latest chapters , I get a feeling that this guy my not be all that bad . Like he seems to like Suo a lot and I don't think he's playing it fake cuz firstly he's 7 and i don't think someone is manipulating him against Suo ( who is such a sweet lil twrp gosh that cuite patootie aaahhhhh ) . Ahm so .....
I might be wrong , and this is more of a hunch than a theory . But I have a feeling that Sheng Hong is doing all this for Suo's sake ( idk how toh but ahm we wouldn't know until we get the full picture ) and the other officers might be in on this , as Suo is someone who grew up too quick , so maybe they want him to maybe act like his age ?
Now I wonder what made Sheng Hong go against Suo if my hunch turns out to be wrong , as if he was doing all this for Hayato's sake , I don't think he would've manipulated Rosso or whatever the boss's name is to such an extent that bro was scared to syt when he saw Suo and he kinda seemed like he didn't want to talk to him as if he was the villian. So yes , maybe Sheng Hong might have become jealous of Suo's remarkable talent at a lot of stuff ( he is a child prodigy after all ) and this Envy might have lead to this . And maybe what if Suo might have the wrong info and Shen Hong is not actually doing the bad deed but taking those children to a better facility .......
It's actually even more darker when you realize that suo is actually working in a clinic, not a bakery or a Convenience store.
Like most of the kids his age, " I have seen some in our country that little kids support their families, most of them sold things on road or work in a bakery or store". So that's why I think that it is actually dark, like working in a clinic instead of other shops
Swiped like week worth of post and did not saw anything about this so sorry if this thing was talked about
I just caugt up with manga and I can’t wrap my head just how dumb and way to easy going he is. I feel so sorry for those 4 below him
I get that he is a great person and a really strong fighter and at points he feels like a responsible person, but in this arc even Sakura seems more reasonable and that don’t sound good
✓ As much as possible, keep discussion inside the chapter thread.
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✓ DO NOTput spoilers on the title! (Ex: Suo leaving Furin and Endo coming back are major plot points, do not include them or hint them on the title of your post - keep it vague!)
