Love is our Resistance

WHAAAAAT- THIS IS ONE OF THE COOLEST SONGS I'VE EVER HEARD WTF. THE CRAZY INDUSTRIAL BITS I KNEEEEWWW THEY WERE GOING TO ADD THAT..!!! It's like Nene's "I'm scared" being cut of the game performance in Yuke bc that's not what the audience should see, but mixed w Nihil-san's vibes, which is amazing— BUT LIKE. IT'S JUST SO GOOD.

AND THE BIT WHERE YOUNGKASA HAS HIS HEART CUT OFF BUT THEN RUI AND WXS GAVE HIM THEIR HEARTS INSTEAD- I'M GOING TO CRY.

AND THEN IN THE SECOND CHORUS THEY'RE ALL TOGETHER BC KASA ISN'T ALONE ANYMORE AND THEY LOOK SO PRECIOUS AND HAPPY BUT-

But then the backwards thing at the end omg- OMG THAT'S SO GENIUS AHHHHHH

Even your mistakes, even your pain, even your despair, they're worth feeling, and acknowledging that will make you whole. If you feel nothing, if you feel empty, you can fill yourself with the things you love, with the people you love. If you look at a past self you forgot, you can embrace it and make it a part of you again. Even if you were lonely before, you can accept the company of those who are with you now.

Even if you're okay now, the pain it's also a part of you, and you must face it again.

It's a never ending path Tsukasa and we all walk over and over again, because you can't just repress the negative emotions forever just because it's complicated and uncomfortable for those around you. You can't live a life without those feelings. The unfair thing here it's that Tsukasa was supposed to learn that as a kid, but didn't have the support he needed because his circumstances were complicated, and now he has to unlearn years and years of repressed feelings. The good thing is he doesn't have to do it alone.

I also find it very interesting how Rui, of all people, is the one trying to reassure the other 4 that they're not alone and they'll overcome this too, when Nene and Emu are singing about the same despair Tsukasa is feeling. I also like that every time youngkasa appears on screen, Len is the one singing. That also ties w his symbolic stand-in of youngkasa in the story.

Btw I love this song being called "all in one". At first I thought it referred to Tsukasa being an actor, someone who can play different characters and also become different people (which is the conflict here, he's trying to become William, in a way), all those personalities, all those stories to tell, "all those possible realities in one person", but then I thought it meant he was trying to embrace all his emotions and memories, instead of just trying to be happy all the time he'd experience "all these feelings in one whole person". But then. The heart scenes in the mv. Wondasho are giving parts of themselves to Tsukasa, they're giving him their hearts (omg the polysho propaganda it's strong w this one) and he, as the leader of Wonderlands × Showtime, is all of these people at once, because now they're a part of himself, and he is all in one.

Idk man it's just so beautiful, everything about kasa7 is fucking genius I want to kiss the brains of everyone involved w this bc that's just crazy awesome.

Look if they win against Argentina that's like, the coolest thing ever right? If they win against Messi then that's totally the coolest shit please. Please.

a lot of people are seeming pretty hesitant to use the word "grooming" for what sakaki is doing to tsukasa and by proxy the rest of wxs but yes. it is very much so grooming. grooming is not always sexual. it's child manipulation and exploitation in all of it's forms. it happens every single day in every single industry.

sakaki is exploiting the early childhood trauma that tsukasa has never formally addressed in himself and manipulating tsukasa into hurting himself (and potentially others, given the intensely violent nature of the thoughts he's putting into tsukasa's head about murdering his family as revenge for them neglecting him as a child) to become what he believes is an actor that people would want to see on stage.

sakaki exploits rui's admiration for and submission to authority by manipulating his priority of tsukasa's dreams and progress. rui and tsukasa's pact to always challenge the other to do better is something that can easily be taken down a dark path when that knowledge is put into the hands of a predator like sakaki.

YES, SAKAKI IS A PREDATOR. he preys on children who are training for their careers and don't know all of the ins and outs of the field they'll be entering, children who are dedicated and passionate above all else and will very obviously do anything to achieve their dreams.

he is grooming them into being the actors HE wants them to be, no matter what harm may come their way. they aren't people to him, they're pawns for him to use to achieve his goal.

this is a very real and prevalent issue in the world of film, music, etc. especially today. i think the light that this event is shining and the story colopale is trying to tell is beautiful and extremely important. while i still stand my ground on the idea that many previous events for tsukasa did fall flat/come off as "angstbait" with the way they were released, i will say that i stand corrected about the nature of his story as a whole.

i was very convinced tsukasa would be the punching bag who never got any real growth because they had no idea what to do with him. however, looking back on his entire story thusfar with this new addition to his life, i think it was set up beautifully. i had complained about his (and kanade's) unhealthy cycles never being truly addressed, and feeling like they were never going to actually do anything about it. i wish i had been more patient with him, because this gives me hope for kanade as well.

this is exactly the progression that his character needed, and it's a very relevant and crucial story to tell. child actors are exploited. child actors are abused. child actors are groomed. we get a huge exposing moment with documentaries about the horrors when it's over, but nobody steps in as it's happening. i really hope this story can show that we CAN stop it if we teach children, especially any CHILDREN WITH JOBS OF ANY KIND, to protect themselves, their rights, their autonomy, and their peers.

thank you sega and colopale for this beautiful story and handling it perfectly for a CHILDREN'S game.