#bsd chapter 8

We’re going to ignore that part 1 of this analysis is from 5 months ago and that I said I’d follow up with part 2 “soon.”

Anyway! Chapter 7 opens with Kyouka, a fourteen-year-old girl, attacking Dazai. When Atsushi expresses his concern about Dazai’s absence, unknowing about the reason for it, Kunikida says this:

This is probably a hint at the fact that Dazai let himself get captured, which is revealed a bit later. To me, this is Dazai being an absurdist protagonist at its finest: using his quirk (for lack of a better term) of consistently attempting suicide as a cover so the ADA doesn’t intervene on his behalf with the mafia. If he’d proposed this plan, they likely wouldn’t have let him do it, so he just “disappears” like he usually does. It's unconventional — absurd, even — that he plans things out like this. 

A good absurdist protagonist succeeds by subverting expectations, and in this instance, Dazai does so by allowing himself to get captured, the very thing Kunikida says is highly unlikely. This is similar to what I talked about in the previous post with Kyouka, who uses her appearance as a young, quiet girl to her advantage when making use of her deadly ability. 

Next: Kaiji and his motivations.

In his introduction, he declares that death is an experiment, and in doing so, he is representative of the absurd reality all humans are subject to, a reality in which someone can decide to bomb an entire train just to get to one individual, a society in which one can take the lives of others in the name of “experimentation.”

Of course, as explained in my prior analysis post, Yosano quickly puts him in his place with her refusal to give into this insane concept that innocent people’s lives are so expendable.

And finally: Atsushi.

Essentially, he is put in a rather difficult position: either give himself in to the Port Mafia, or allow an entire train of people to be blown to smithereens by Kaiji’s bombs. 

Of course, as our absurdist protagonist, Atsushi refuses to do either of these things and carves out his own secret third option: save everyone on the train and defeat Kaiji. Luckily, Yosano completes the latter portion of this task, leaving Atsushi to deal with the train’s passengers — and this includes Kyouka.

Kyouka begins attacking Atsushi, easily overwhelming him. It’s important to note that at this point in time, not only does he have very limited experience with combat, but he also hasn’t explored his ability fully, meaning that he is woefully outmatched by her ability, Demon Snow. 

Atsushi begins to have his doubts, as is characteristic of him. He often wavers in these moments of vulnerability, almost succumbing to the idea that it isn’t worth fighting back anymore because of his inexperience and apparent weakness. It is in this moment, though, that he has one of his famous orphanage flashbacks that will steel his resolve.

After this, the narration of Atsushi's inner monologue reads: “At that moment, an idea suddenly popped into my head. It may be a stupid idea, but at least it won’t leave me alone. If, by any chance, I can let the passengers return home safe and sound, does that prove that it’s okay for me to live?”

And, as if by a miracle, Atsushi is able to activate his ability to fight back against Kyouka.

In reality, it isn’t a miracle, though. It is Atsushi’s rebellion against the hopelessness of his current situation that pushes him to continue to fight back, allowing him to tap into his power and harness it. In a world where he and all the passengers will die a meaningless death, he creates his own purpose despite the seemingly dire circumstances. This is a theme that will recur again and again throughout the manga (even up to chapters being currently released), it is at the core of this story that when things seem the bleakest, there is always worth in continuing to fight back. 

Then Kyouka reveals the bomb, and subsequently, Akutagawa reveals that it cannot be diffused. Atsushi is saved the strife of having to figure out this one, though, when Kyouka takes things into her own hands and decides to sacrifice herself.

And Atsushi could stop there. Kyouka jumping from the train could be the conclusion to this story, as it would save both himself the passengers, but he refuses to believe that a fourteen year old orphan forced to murder against her will deserves to die, and so he makes the borderline suicidal decision to also jump in order to save her…

… and he succeeds. 

Because there is always worth in trying — there is always hope.

This is her introductory chapter, spotlighting her personality and eventually her ability. One of my favorite moments by far is when she’s apologizing on Atsushi’s behalf for bumping into a rude, wealthy and entitled man who then kicks her in the face and she replies by threatening to stomp on his dick.

Later in the chapter, after Motojiro Kajii begins the bomb threat on the train, the same man begs for Yosano to save him after realizing she’s with the agency, perhaps hinting to the reader that he’s now had a change of heart… but then asks her to step on his dick. Appropriately, she drop-kicks the pervert. 

This highlights the absurdity of sexism and classism in modern society, the man flaunting his wealth earlier and insulting Yosano for being a woman, and is still unable to get over his bigoted ideology when his literal life is in danger. One would like to think that a woman being part of a powerful detective agency would earn the man’s respect, but in reality, this is not quite so true. He just wants to reap the advantages of having Yosano on his side by offering to pay her, but still objectifies her in the end. It’s a nuanced criticism that doesn’t magically solve sexism/classism by Yosano simply existing as a badass woman. 

This continues with Kajii’s interaction with Yosano, where he remarks that “women are so tough nowadays,” implying that it’s not in women’s nature to be strong. His sexist assumptions already put him at a disadvantage, because although he acknowledges Yosano’s strength, he still thinks himself more powerful and her stupid for trying to defy him.

In chapter 8, he calls her a “girl” and questions her intelligence, to which Yosano retaliates, calling Kajii "an idiot."

She’s goading him into injuring her here, knowing that her own ability will only work if she is on the brink of death, and it works. He drops a load of bombs on her, ignorantly assuming that there’s no chance of her survival. When he checks on her again, she uses this to her advantage, attacking him and effectively putting him in his place. 

Earlier, he had basically tried to mansplain death to her, not knowing who she was or what her background is, so she reveals her status as a doctor and explains her ability and understanding of death, threatening him.

After this, she half-kills Kajji and uses her ability on him enough times that she gets the information she needs and is able to speak to Atsushi over the intercom, allowing him to take charge of the situation. 

In summary, this chapter introduces Yosano as someone consistently overlooked because she is a woman, but she proves that she is capable and intelligent, which is not negated by the fact that she is also revealed to be borderline sadistic. It paints a nuanced portrait of a female character that will be further explored with her backstory much later in the manga. 

Now, let’s shift focus to Kyouka. 

Kyouka is silently present throughout chapter 7: capturing Dazai at the beginning and bumping into Atsushi at the train station. We know she is a threat, likely affiliated with the Port Mafia, but she is kept mysterious until the conclusion of chapter 7, using her appearance as a young, quiet girl as a cover until then. Atsushi tries to warn her against going toward the bomb before she reveals Demon Snow, who is being controlled by Akutagawa at this point. 

Continuing into Chapter 8, Atushi is shown to have been pretty injured by Demon Snow, and when he asks why a young girl like her is there, she reveals her very innocent interests and fears… and the fact that she’s killed thirty-five people in the last six months. 

Pairing the seemingly normal and even sweet personality traits consistent with a young girl with the fact that she’s an assassin is jarring, those two things do not belong together, and yet, in this absurd reality, there exists and girl who likes rabbits and has caused death. It’s absurd. 

After battling with Atsushi some more, she reveals that the bomb is strapped to her chest, reiterating her body count. Atsushi implores her to “express herself,” telling her that there’s more to life, imploring that they stop. Yosano then interrupts and Kyouka hands over the switch, only for Akutagawa to reveal through the phone that there is no way to defuse the bomb and it will go off regardless. 

She then pushes Atsushi away, attempting to jump off the train, and he then realizes that the phone controls her ability, that she has no autonomy and did not want to commit the murders she did. She has no autonomy. 

But rather than be resigned to her fate and allow herself and everyone on the train to die, Atsushi’s words seem to have affected her, and she decides to sacrifice only herself, jumping off the moving train.

While I cannot label this action as explicitly absurd (she believed she was dying either way and had completely lost hope), the fact that she’s rebelling against what Akutagawa wanted her to do, something she was unable to do thus far, is significant. I also think it is noteworthy that her ability is being controlled by a man, rendering her mostly unable to control her own actions, her hopelessness allowing for this. This appears to be in theme with the feminist lens these chapters seem to be taking. 

But as we already know with BSD, there is no situation that is completely hopeless, and Kyouka’s intended act of sacrifice allows Atsushi to jump out after her and save her, the bomb detaching from her chest far enough from the train that nobody gets injured. 

Kyouka will be further developed in future chapters, so I’ll wrap this up here at the end of chapter 8. What I will bring up is Kyouka’s similarities to Dazai, especially in his younger years. This is by no means an original idea, as many others have brought up this point on social media, but I do think it’s worth noting considering that the two share a certain amount of nihilism, which is only perpetuated by the toxic environment of the Port Mafia. Here, we see 

Kyouka taking her first steps toward breaking from this mindset, taking direct action so that nobody else got killed, seemingly the first decision she’s made for herself since her parents’ death. In this moment, she's reclaimed her autonomy.

This post is long enough as it is, so I’ll end it here. I will be making another post soon about chapters 7 and 8, focusing on Dazai’s capture, Kajji’s ideology, and Atsushi’s actions.