Rhayne

BUT i’ll boil it down to:

- they aren’t sitting on opposite sides of the table anymore

- this is probably an intell meeting or smth since they both collab with Rosaria to get outside info

- Rosaria is DONE with their BS (she told me herself)

If horses ever get implemented imagine getting a tutorial quest where you come to Mond only to be like "where the hell is everybody" and end up being pointed to the pasture because it's apparently foaling season and everyone dropped literally everything in favor of baby horse.

Razor has never seen a horse before and is in awe. Jean was supposed to log the number of foals and information about them but for once completely abandoned her work because "Barbara come look at his one, it's blaze is a little heart". Fischl has declared a horse her "Black Unicorn of the Night" (it's not even true black, just dark bay). Eula is jokingly swearing vengeance on a yearling that tried to eat her cape. Varka is sitting under a tree holding a whole draft foal like a baby, completely trapped because he rocked it to sleep and can't get up until it's done napping. Kaeya and Diluc the resident horse whisperers are actually getting along shockingly well while surrounded by half the herd. Venti is singing to the foals while Albedo draws the scene. Klee is sitting on a pony, getting her first riding lesson.

Let’s talk about a scene which needs to get more attention—Chapter 94.

Asano Gakuhou beating up a group of 15 year old students, who weren’t even from his school, but exchange students.

First off, imagine going to a completely different country, then being sent to the hospital by the principal. That is not okay. Sure, they’re the ones who accepted the challenge. But just because someone agreed to a fight doesn’t mean you need to beat them half to death.

The kids weren’t even doing anything wrong. Kevin respectfully told the Principal his teaching methods were wrong. No reason to challenge someone to a fight till unconsciousness.

Even then, the Principal only had to defeat them, and it is 100% possible to defeat people without harming them. A simple blow to the back of the neck can knock someone out painlessly. Pinning someone down and twisting their arms behind them is easy. He did not need to take it this far with unnecessary violence and bloodshed.

And just look at how much blood there is. That’s actually a fairly accurate amount of blood, since mouth and head injuries can bleed a lot, but still. These 15 year olds at the very least have concussions, possibly broken teeth and bones.

And the most concerning part is the entire reason he went this far in the first place. The Principal hasn’t lost his temper in this fight. He’s doing this deliberately to show Gakushu the consequences of losing. He’s showing him that he shouldn’t listen to people like Kevin, they are weak, and I have defeated them. I am right, they are wrong. Don’t listen to them, learn from me.

And look at Gakushu’s expression.

He is pressed against the wall, physically shaking. He’s as far away from his father as he can get. He’s terrified.

Also note that he is no longer standing. He is on the ground, as if he was in so much distress his knees couldn’t support him anymore. He collapsed.

Some victims of emotional abuse display symptoms of physical abuse, even if they were never laid a hand on. The fact that his father is beating someone else up with him watching is just as bad as beating Gakushu himself.

“If a person is verbally abusing you and that person towers over you, with his/her fists clenched, you have good reason to fear being hit. The same is true if that person hits a wall, kicks something across the room, destroys property, etc. Similarly, if a person verbally references anything physical in nature, the victim is justifiably caused to fear physical abuse—Mandy Trouten.”

He is threatening violence in an indirect way. We know Gakuho eventually does physically strike his son, but this is a lot more emotionally scarring in my opinion. Especially when you realize his father finished beating up 4 other people and you are now the only one left in the room still conscious. 

Something that most people fail to notice is this small detail: note how the Principal slams his hand against the wall, trapping Gakushu in.

He compares the man to a monster. That does sound kind of dramatic, but in his state of terror, it makes sense.

We can see him direct paramedics into the office. He’s a 14 year old boy who had to call 911 for this. And meanwhile, all the other students are outside celebrating and having fun.

I think this sudden shift is intentional to show that while other kids are laughing and having a good time, Gakushu Asano is going through severe trauma that they have no clue about.

This puts the ending into better context. We can now understand why Gakushu behaves so unsportsmanlike, why he was so desperate to win in the first place. It also explains why he blackmailed 3-E into the pole toppling contest anyways. The only time his father ever acknowledges him is when he wins. And Gakushu has already lost one challenge—(The exam bet, that they would get more first places than the other class in each subject), which was not one he even started in the first place—and so he needed a rematch.

Does this excuse all his actions? No, he still caused a lot of pain for 3-E. But when you look at all the pain he’s going through himself, he becomes a lot more complex as a character. 

Gakushu Asano is not a likeable character initially. He uses underhanded methods, seems to have no sense of empathy, and calls his own friends his “minions.” But as the story progresses, he grows as a character. He inspires his classmates, brings them together. He becomes a better leader. He even swallows his pride and bows to 3-E, asking for their help in taking down his father.

His issues with his father are mainly what cause him to act in these less desirable ways in the first place. Which is why it’s a let down that he doesn’t get the proper resolution his character arc deserves.

I want to preface this with this: What Gakuhou is doing to Gakushu is undeniably emotional neglect and abuse. The backhanded slap is a case of physical abuse, however, it is not the focus of Gakushu’s trauma. I see the backhand/slap as a wake-up call to both Gakushu and Gakuhou. It’s really what makes them realize that their relationship isn’t just “unique”, but legitimately a case of abuse.

What is interesting is that Gakushu is actually humored by the fact that his father hit him in front of the entire class. This shows that he was so desperate for his father to acknowledge him, that any type of acknowledgement was fine with him. Even violence was okay with him, as long as his father was looking at him.

He tried to beat E-class, trick them into signing a contract to release their secret, all just to have something to hold over his father. To have him look at him.

This is a sentiment we see echoed with Koro-sensei and God of Death/Reaper 2.0. This boy was the one who betrayed Koro-sensei, all to get him to acknowledge him.

This is where it gets a little controversial.

Koro-sensei emotionally neglected and abused his apprentice, Reaper 2.0.

Yes, I am aware that the boy was not actually, legally his son. But nothing they’re doing is legal in the first place, so I don’t see how that counts. Reaper 2.0 clearly looked up to Koro-sensei, and was desperate for his approval and affection. He saw Koro-sensei as a father figure, whereas Koro-sensei saw him as merely a student.

Sound familiar?

Gakushu is very similar to Reaper 2.0. Yet very different. In the same way that Koro-sensei and Gakuhou are similar, yet in different ways.

Koro-sensei committed horrible deeds in the past—cold blooded murder of thousands of people even if it was for the sake of making the world a better place, means that at the very least, one of the people he killed had to be innocent. It would be impossible to kill that many people and not have just one of them be not guilty of the crime he was killing them for. So he killed an innocent person. Possibly more than one of them. And he made someone an orphan. Then proceeded to emotionally neglect and abuse said orphan.

But then he saw someone he loved die, was redeemed, and became a better person.

Gakuhou was the opposite. He used to be a good person, but then saw someone he loved die, spiraled downwards, and became a horrible person. His educational system was plain cruel, and he most likely drove several students to suicide through the bullying and harassment he promoted. He exhorted billions of yen out of the ministry of defense.

Looking at the parallels between Koro-sensei and Gakuhou, it is clear that the one thing they have in common with their narratives are death.

Death of somebody they loved was the catalyst for change for both of them. Whether it was to send them on a downward spiral or a path to redemption.

Which is why I don’t think Gakuhou will change with just having his own life being put in danger. The narrative tried it’s best to follow through, using Gakuhou’s potential death as a catalyst for change, but it’s not enough.

It’s one thing for Nagisa and Karma to have their lives threatened as catalysts for change, because they are students, innocents.

Gakuhou needs to have somebody he love die (or nearly die) in order for him to change for the better.

And I think this person is Gakushu.

Why?

First off, Gakushu likely faced a constant pressure to be the best at everything. We’ve seen how his father responds to failure. It’s not pretty.

The fact that Gakuhou literally sees every failure as a matter of life or death puts a lot of pressure on his son.

Which is why, it’s unrealistic to think that Gakushu will just bounce off his failure like he appears to do in canon.

He will start to spiral. I don’t believe it will happen right away. Perhaps he’ll pretend to be fine at school, and when he goes home that night, he’ll start becoming depressed about his second place.

I like the poetic nature of Gakushu jumping off the same bridge that Ikeda did.

But I also like the idea that he survives.