#analysis rant

NOTE: I am not an expert on Japanese history. I just went to a museum and Googled stuff. Please do your own research and correct me if I get stuff wrong.

So I went to Japan recently and visited a Samurai and Ninja Museum.It was in Tokyo and was really cool.

So it gave me a better more in depth understanding about ninjas and samurai - and also gave me this HC or Theory:

Shadowsan and Hideo have samurai and ninja blood.

Let me explain:

Historically, to be trained to become a samurai or a ninja you would usually have to be born into it - not really the case in modern Japan anymore because the social class of samurai had been abolished in the 1870s due to the Meiji Restoration. Ninjas probably would have also retired by then I'm guessing because samurai used them.

However, around 10% of Japan's population are estimated to have samurai blood (- there was a staff member in the museum I was at who did have samurai blood and was good with a sword and would show and teach people.)

With this in mind, I'd say it wouldn't be outlandish to guess that Hideo and Shadowsan do have some samurai blood in the family because:

it looks like both are capable of wielding swords (okay it's a bit iffy for Hideo)

Hideo is pretty strict when it comes to Bushido (as mentioned by Shadowsan).

I also feel like Shadowsan mentioning how bad he feels for dishonoring samurai could also be interpreted for dishonoring his family.

But why did I also include ninja blood? Well the HC that I have is that at some point in the family tree, ninja and samurai blood mixed together but Shadowsan and Hideo didn't know about the ninja part - just samurai.

Shadowsan embraced the ninja side while Hideo embraced the samurai side.

OR

Shadowsan could be viewed as a ronin (a masterless samurai) which historically would be viewed with suspicion and would turn into a bandit. Could reflect how he used his samurai blood to be part of VILE OR how he betrayed VILE and had no evil master to serve to after that.

Hey! So I heard this song on the radio and I can’t help but feel it carries a lot. It’s just a bit of analysis rant or dump.

Also to keep with the Pride month theme, I’ll mainly be focusing on how this song could apply to queer relationships. But keep in mind - this could apply to any other dynamic or situation (maybe that’s why it’s so popular?)

Anyway, here we go!

I feel like Zac Efron’s first verse represents people who have the privilege to be their true authentic selves and declare their love openly.

Zendaya’s second verse however could represent people who can’t be open with it due to family or loved ones not accepting who they are and who they love. It also points how their romance is very contained within a bubble or “these walls”. Therefore when they come out about it, there could be a chance that it’s “hopeless” after all.

Their respective choruses also show their different perspectives and situations. Efron’s has a more positive outlook where it’s more asking “What if” - indicating hope and some agency. Zendaya’s however is more certain in saying “It’s never gonna happen” and saying how they have no agency or hope in their situation. Society has written it in the stars to stigmatise it and keep them apart.

Yet throughout the song, they say how much they still want to be together no matter what. Even if their perspectives on the future and agency are different.