kazoo :P

I finally read Kasa7, mostly because my friend kept calling me a larper (in a joking way). Beforehand, I saw many people commenting that Sakaki is not necessarily an evil person. Or at least not in the current narrative. I decided to not say anything as I had no grounds to argue, but after reading it... are you all sure? This event paints a clear difference between Sakaki and Rui, which is the basis of their rivalry. Sakaki's direction is based on manipulation, the usage of positive and negative feedback to get someone to do as he wants. Rui's direction is based on understanding, the shaping of an actor to a role according to their abilities and boundaries. One prioritizes results, the other safety and mental health.

Sakaki, being older and more powerful, does everything in his power to put him down and show him that his approach is incorrect. In this event, he goes as far as not allowing him to direct his own troupe simply because Rui's beliefs didn't align with his own. Not only does he do this, but he successfully manipulates Rui into allowing Tsukasa's mental state to worsen.

"But, if you want to make it interesting, you've got to be willing to go this far, right?" = coercing Rui into allowing Tsukasa to worsen his mental state for the sake of the show, downplaying the effects method acting has on Tsukasa's psyche so Rui won't be scared to let it happen.

"We've made such good progress, after all." = an indirect insult to Rui's directing, implying that this is the only correct way for Tsukasa to correctly portray William.

It's not the first time Sakaki has used insults and condescension to coerce Rui into doing somethings for him. He speaks to Rui (a teenage boy 14-15 years younger than him, by the way) like he's someone lower than him. He speaks his name like he's purposefully trying to frustrate him. His intentions in Rui5 were to grind Rui down to dust, and he succeeded. His comments were enough for him to starve himself, skip basic hygiene, lose sleep, and ultimately put together a performance of how he believes himself to be deserving of the lowest punishment, death, for his abnormality. Sakaki, however, is not mediocre at his work. While he knows that insults work to get inside Rui's mind, as Rui's fragility is quite evident, he knows the same won't work for Tsukasa. Tsukasa shares Rui's self-doubt, but he hides it under a facade of confidence. That's why he uses praise to get his way instead. 

Sakaki explores how Tsukasa reacts to getting complimented by those in a higher position than him. When he notices he's hit jackpot, he uses it to ensure Tsukasa will continue forcing himself down. He encourages him, saying that following his advice will help him rise. Rise to a level he knows Tsukasa craves, to be wanted and remembered.

This whole scene is very uncomfortable to me. The difference within how he talks to Rui and how he talks to Tsukasa is so astonishing, I'm genuinely surprised no one else in the event itself mentioned it. In fact, I'm quite shocked there are still those pretending he's an acceptable director. He honeys Tsukasa up in a very weird way. He breaks Rui down in a very strange way. He makes me feel as uneasy as Mafumom, for example, as their tactics are quite similar.

Rui's not like Sakaki. He beats himself down for it, because he hasn't realized yet that that's a good thing. He assumes that under his guidance, Tsukasa won't ever reach stardom, because he's fundamentally incapable of letting him harm himself. He hesitantly accepted when Tsukasa said he'd starve himself for Rio, he tried his best to understand his approach to Bless, and even when Tsukasa told him to not talk to him for William, he still hesitated, but ultimately went along with it, until Emu and Nene confirmed his belief that it wasn't okay. The truth is, in a non-sexual way (since PJSK fans are good at misinterpreting things), Rui's really submissive. He lacks the assertiveness other directors in the story has, and he gets nagged for it constantly. The reason it took him so long to tell Tsukasa he isn't okay with his method acting is because all he wants is to see his friends shine, so he goes along with whatever they need to do in order to get where they deserve to be. It works with Nene, it works with Emu, it fails with Tsukasa. He isn't built to handle his intense perfectionism. He tries, but he can't help him in a way that matters. Even in this event, when he tries, he still isn't able to be the one that reaches out. Emu is.

This is the fundamental difference between Rui and Sakaki. Rui wants the best for Tsukasa, Sakaki wants the best for the performance. Sakaki will get a good performance out of playing with Tsukasa's feelings, Rui will get a "boring" performance out of allowing Tsukasa to go as far as he wants and praising him nonetheless.

Maybe I'm a big fat chud Ruikasa shipper, but the "... Can you see the audience, Tsukasa-kun?" is the sweetest line in this entire game. Subjectively. In my opinion. It is really kind, and the best possible thing Rui could've said in that moment. He doesn't immediately tell him he did a great job, he lets Tsukasa see for himself how good he is, how unforgettable he is. He takes the attention out of himself and turns it around on Tsukasa.

Rui isn't like Sakaki. While he's still scared and anxious, unsure of what he can do to help Tsukasa without hurting him, Sakaki is simply thinking about how much further he can go. It's too early to tell yet, but that reminds me of another manipulation tactic: continuously moving goalposts. Changing the expectations each time they're achieved, so it never feels like it's enough. Sakaki and Rui are polar opposites. Rui is worried about how he can show Tsukasa he's already reached his peak, Sakaki is wondering how much it will take for Tsukasa to break.