on my way home

I've seen many people making fun of this guy who punched ume or not understanding the message conveyed through this scene, taking it as your usual scuffle so I'm gonna talk about it. First off, these panels are actually deeper than they look. It's not just some stupid guy punching ume like your usual storyline. It's an "immigrant" punching him out of "certain frustrations" and that changes the entire interpretation of this scene. As we've understood so far, Bankokugai is definitely struggling with money and food issues and the residents living in it have to experience a tough life because of it so when ume easily handed out money to solve the situation, it rubbed the man the wrong way because he said "do you think MONEY will fix everything!?" because MONEY is smth they don't have, that they're struggling with while living in a community closed off from everyone else. So ume easily offering it to "solve" everything went wrong. Another reason I think behind the frustrations is that he's an "outsider" because I think the bankokugai residents feel bitter knowing people use their cultures as tourism and bankokugai outside layer to enjoy different cultures and easily having access to money while the residents from said cultures are getting by with much difficulty and have been treated as outcasts by the society of the country they're immigrants in.

What the man did was wrong, yes. BUT it is very understandable as well as realistically portrayed once you look at the whole situation. Especially if we're talking about Japan where the wbk is set in, which is known for this prevalent serious problem that has existed since a long time. And also cuz he felt disrespected which made ume's actions come out wrong. The residents of bankokugai have felt how it feels like to be treated as outcasts, to have lived and to continue to live a life full of struggle in another country where you barely get by and have no options to move places while dealing with the rejection of the majority of the society of that country and having to live off in a closed space in the end managing by themselves, getting disrespected while their cultures are still enjoyed and must've also been through people giving them money (unlike ume's intentions) in a way supposed to mock or humiliate them or make light of their struggle and pain by shoving it at them as tho it would FIX everything they've been through, as tho of would take away their suffering.

The separation of bankokugai's inner layers with the outer layers and the outside majority community also contributes to creating this feeling of being an outcast/outsider and being separated from others as if they aren't the same as every other human. While living in their own bubble protects them, it's still a bubble in the end and it hurts not being able to pop out of it and knowing why they can't while still struggling in their daily lives.

Which is why the few highlighted words in the screenshot convey a lot. It conveys the feelings of all immigrants and any minorities people push away as outcasts in the real world. It doesn't condone the violence but sensei is using these panels to showcase a big message and meaning. And as I've said before, we're stepping into a morally grey territory with red chanpuru too, it's not an arc that's gonna be easy black and white. And aside from the morally grey rc, the issues addressed this arc are complex and not a one moment gone the next kinda thing.

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suwa cube #my cube