I have been forced to follow you
All part of my plan. Don't worry too much about it and sleep with your windows open.
Death obsessed autistic faggots are our only hope for a cultural renaissance
BREAKING NEWS: Writer discovers for the millionth time that they can write whatever they want. Join us now to see if the lesson will stick.
the problem with reading and writing leading to a strong vocabulary is that you tend to know the vibe of words instead of their meanings.
if I used this word in a sentence, would it make sense? absolutely. if you asked me what it meant, could I tell you? absolutely not.
Hua Xi, from "Night Drive Through My Own Life"
Virginia Woolf, from a letter to Lady Robert Cecil written c. January 1907
As enjoyable as the anime adaptation may be, I urge everyone to read the light novel itself!! The anime glossed over many, many important scenes which are plenty enjoyable, but one thing I feel the novel captures a lot better are Oda’s thoughts, which definitely help you understand his (slightly odd) way of thinking. Here’s just a few of the many scenes you’d have missed out on if you only watch the anime:
Prologue + Chapter 1
How Dazai injured himself on tofu.
Dazai’s cooking and his miraculous soups.
Oda’s extremely detailed breakfast routine.
Dazai’s interaction with Hirotsu.
Dazai making an order for coffee and his highly sweet tooth.
The shooter was around three meters away from Dazai, compared to the anime which was near point blank (even I could have shot Dazai at that distance without training, please.) Also, Odasaku’s thoughts about Dazai’s expression. In comparison, he’s a lot more vocal about asking Dazai to stop talking after having his hand forced.
Chapter 2
The fight with the kids.
Odasaku’s vacuum cleaner passage about Dazai. Well worth the read.
Ango commenting that Dazai and Oda stink of rotten tsukudani.
Chapter 3
At one point, Akutagawa had Gide tied up. Also, he punched him.
Oda and Gide’s first meeting, in which Oda describes Gide as handsome.
Gide has grey eyes.
Dazai proposes to arrange Gide and Odasaku’s wedding.
Odasaku’s inner thoughts when the Buraiha trio break up are also well worth a read.
Chapter 4
The chase scene when Odasaku goes for the orphans. This was moved to episode 15, but keeping this would have been more dramatic imo.
The utter resignation in Odasaku’s thoughts are much, much grimmer in the novel. Also, Odasaku picks up smoking again.
His fight with the Mimic soldiers was cut short. Just a little, though.
Odasaku smiles when he fights Gide.
Their pose is described as miraculous.
The singularity of abilities is better explained in the novel.
Odasaku’s past is slightly less glossed over/implied.
Gide tells Odasaku to say hello to the children for him.
The cigarettes. Also, Odasaku’s last words were about his true love, curry rice.
Epilogue
Only one scene was animated. Everything else is pretty important imo.
“Love never dies of a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness, errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds. It dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings, but never of a natural death.”
— Anais Nin
writer | character analysis| poems | opinion ✮ digital brain dumpster ✮
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