While DJ's parents are absent from the narrative, having passed away years ago, in a way they still haunt the narrative at large. A particularly telling instance of this are the following words said by DJ in Episode 6,
This has gotta be the worst day I've ever had.
Wait...
No... There was definitely a worse one.
DJ's parents are ever present in the background of his life. Clearly, the way he lives has been both inspired by their lives and by their sudden passing when he was a young child.
He was, presumably, taught how to prepare the food he prepares so carefully by his parent(s).
Even within this small frame, and through a few miscellaneous pictures from his and Arun's childhood, we can see that they were kind and loving people who understood the value of affection and care.
Hence, DJ's life is defined not by an absence of care from the very beginning, but the endless pursuit to attempt to fill the gap left behind by its sudden cessation.
Arun was forced to grow up early, taking a mediocre job to support himself and DJ at the young age of 18. DJ himself has taken over the more domestic aspect of things. Since he is disallowed from getting a part-time job, he instead does what he can to support the two of them otherwise.
Most likely, the "worse day" that DJ is referring to is the day his parents passed away, leaving behind a family of two that must now navigate this large world on its own. When it comes to grief such as this, there is only a before and an after. It becomes a defining point of your life, and I am certain the same is true for DJ.
As readers, we have only been shown the after of this tragedy, but the before lives in the quiet moments. What were their lives like? How did his parents meet each other, and come together to build a family? How much of the house's decor is the lingering effect of their own tastes? The dishes that DJ prepares, and the way he labels containers carefully for his brother with messages of goodwill—is that something they used to do for the two of them? Was the car that Arun drives theirs?
Sometimes, there is more meaning in the careful ways in which we look away from some things, than the ones we look directly in the eye. DJ's offhand comment that's never elaborated upon leaves his thoughts up to interpretation, highlighting how he himself prefers to leave them behind.
Still, all of this is ever present in DJ's tendency toward self-reliance and self-denial—making himself convenient so he can support the people he loves and cares for.
I look forward to learning more about his parents, and the way his own childhood is a part of who he is today.
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I don't like that it's such a common trope to turn female characters' pursuit of knowledge/skill into something with negative connotations whereas male characters are often looked at through the lense of genius and admiration.
Often, when female characters have (scholarly) ambitions and/or are really invested in something it's written as annoying, the nagging know-it-all at whom you roll your eyes.
Her interest and aspiration are too much. Even when a story acknowledges she is good at something it's often "balanced out" by a grating, stuck-up, inflexible rule-worshipping and "neurotic" personality, as if she needs to be "put" in her place.
If she is part of the cast that's supposed to be liked, she is supposed to be liked "despite" her "over-the-top" commitment to both the thing she cares deeply about as well as to "order" (because her "inflexibility" and rule-abidance is generally used as a narrative device that holds everyone around her back and she will have frequent moments of "having to get over herself" that characters depicted as carefree don't have (to the same degree)).
At the same time that "balancing act" is frequently written in a comical way, so the negative characterisation doesn't feel "as serious". It feels like the story is not *really* putting her down when at a closer look that is the very effect.
It's just executed in such a casual way that the implementation's emotional impact doesn't match the true gravity, that you can logically trace when you strip away the vibe-based writing and look at what's actually happening.
It's a joke for the audience' (and her surrounding's) amusement at the cost of her character.
Male geniuses' pursuit of knowledge is not tied as often to stuck-up, nagging, rule-loving inflexibility, whereas for female characters it feels like an almost "natural" pairing, even if a writer does make the effort to include other endearing qualities.
Somehow this one link persists.
Of course there are some male characters that fall into this trope and some female characters that (luckily) avoid it, but it's not as much of a staple for male characters as it is for female ones (esp. if it's for male characters that are supposed to be liked - but for villains as well, there is the suave genius and prodigy).
For female characters who thirst for knowledge and/or other ambitious goals it seems to be one of the go-to tropes, whereas male geniuses' depictions enjoy a much wider variety of narratives.
I suppose you can summarise all this with: "
Girls are often seen as know-it-alls/teacher's pets. And *even* when the merit of their pursuit has to be acknowledged, "know-it-all" is still the primary or at least an equal perception. The everlooming "But".
Boys are often seen as *genuinely* brilliant breakers of boundaries, explorers of true novelty. They are allowed to just be."
If you actually think about it, if Light was the only genderbent character in deathnote, the show would take very dark turn and would communicate a different message.
Tbh if Light was woman aligning it might just turn into one of those "dark romance" things from booktok...
But if you wanna take it seriously, yeah. "Women loving woman, fighting against the injustice in the world as men hunt her and try to get her killed" does have a different ring to it.
May i ask you for an analysis rant on mages of rage?
a mage of rage?
mages as a classpect know thier aspect through experience. this can be both good and bad, and will effect them in different ways (though bc the human mind tends to latch onto negative emotions as memories, people tend to focus on the potential "suffering" aspect of a mage. sollux does not help this</3)
rage as an aspect is an aspect of rebellion and doubt, and could be seen as religious esque belief in the self rather than a higher power if you wish to take it that way
so together, a mage of rage would be someone who's experienced this firsthand, both the good and the bad of it. they probably know the struggle of rebellion or doubt, but also knows what it feels like when that pays off. of course, experience has a hold on development, so the more rage they experience, the more doubtful and rebellious they may become
One of the most interesting spaces in Superfish is the Occult Club, the events of which function as a direct mirror to some of the themes in the main story. Hence, the Eugene vs Mandy conflict is reminiscent of the ideological clashes happening between Superfish and DJ at every turn.
We know the following about how the Occult Club works so far,
It is headed by Eugene, who clearly is the member who has the most interest in the Occult.
Being its member involves undergoing an initiation ceremony where a creepy doll is used to potentially give you a minor scare?
It started initially as Eugene and his friends discussing "spooky stories," but slowly evolved into the more "interactive" experience of visiting abandoned/potentially haunted locations.
Daisuke is responsible for photographing each location.
At every such location, one person has to enter the building and grab an object for their "collection," which visibly includes the following so far: a book (?), a picture frame (?), a can, and an identifiable showpiece (?).
Even at first glance, it can quickly be surmised that the club, in its current form, works as an exploratory device based on nostalgia and a collective sense of belonging. Hence, Superfish joining the club did not feel like a breach so much as natural progression, because to Eugene he was now their friend for having protected them from Johnny and his gang.
Mandy's forceful approach, on the other hand, is at direct odds with Eugene's. She wants something organized and methodical, and is hence a perfect foil for Eugene. Where he works based more on sentimentality and feeling, she works more based on the facts and the information available to her.
Both approaches have their own merits, and are quite similar to the differences between DJ and Superfish in how they are navigating the situation with the core.
Superfish, like Eugene, lacks any grand plan but still wants to work entirely independently. Initially, he refuses to explain anything to DJ, including the fact that his life may be in danger. He believes himself to be capable of solving anything on his own, which he reiterates numerous times, despite the situation being unprecedented and thus entirely new to him.
DJ, like Mandy, forces organization and clarity in Superfish's plans. He repeatedly asks for information, is the one who gave Superfish the idea for the potion (even if accidentally), and refuses to let Superfish handle things on his own. He is enforcing the structure of shared responsibility between them.
Just as the club is a protected space for its members to be themselves at least around each other, given how they aren't well-liked by their other peers, the life Superfish and DJ are building together also lies outside the norm and is hidden away.
However, this "protection" via resisting the outside world is not sustainable. The world of the comic at large, and the limited and currently protected space of the Occult Club, can both be summarized by change forcing its way into the status quo, and thus invariably changing the people involved in ways they may not have otherwise.
And, just as Superfish and DJ will learn to place their differences together constructively and work as a team, Eugene and Mandy too will learn to appreciate the unique perspectives each has to offer, and the "captaincy competition" will likely end with the two being co-captains.
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Why S1 of Superfish Will End With Superfish Leaving The Main Story Temporarily
Now that we are roughly over the half-way mark for this season, it feels like an opportune time to theorize what may happen next.
I believe S1 will end with Superfish leaving the main story temporarily, either forcefully or of his own volition. He may also end up back in Obscaria, having to confront the things that caused him to flee in the first place.
Some points of note,
Pegl0 has previously clarified that while DJ will always be the protagonist of the story, there will be sections in the comic that are in Superfish’s perspective.
We are set to learn much more about Superfish’s origins and life thus far in future episodes of the comic.
Humans are unable to enter Obscaria, and if Superfish was to forcibly be taken there, DJ would not be able to follow him.
Pegl0 has made it clear that this, being primarily a supernatural fantasy work, will involve serious cliffhangers, dangers, and injuries.
Given all of the above, it would make the most sense if S1 ends on a difficult note. In every major piece of fiction, there is a moment when uncertainty reaches its peak. The first half of this season has set up one singular objective for its protagonist and deuteragonist: brew the strength potion and retrieve the witch’s core from DJ without killing him in the process.
For the comic to continue, they are bound to fail in some way. What could this failure look like?
Perhaps, retrieval is made impossible because Superfish is unable to carry it out. If he is captured or forced to relocate, the second season could provide a brief look at his life outside of DJ’s perspective. It would also work excellently with the theme the first half of this season has revolved around: Superfish may be the most powerful witch alive, but even he needs saving sometimes.
How Will Superfish's Journey Conclude? A Brief Analysis of Howl's Moving Castle
In Howl's Moving Castle, magic is often used as a metaphor for both a longing for the bygone past and a rigid understanding of what you want your future to look like.
Given that Superfish is significantly inspired by Howl's Moving Castle, I believe Superfish's journey through the story will mirror Howl's journey, with it eventually culminating in Superfish's magical powers either being lost entirely or significantly altered.
Significant spoilers for the Studio Ghibli classic "Howl's Moving Castle" are enclosed below. I will eventually make a detailed comparison of the two once the first season of the comic has ended. For now, this is simply a brief analysis of the underlying themes present.
I welcome all discussion and opinions, and you may send a message, a question, or comment upon the post itself.
In the film, magic represents a longing for a simpler past in two different ways,
The pleasure of pre-industrialized times, as shown through Sophie's hat business, and the extensive focus on domesticity.
The longing to evade the natural forces of time—a desire for a perfect stagnation encapsulating power, beauty, fame, and fortune.
Domesticity is a recurring theme in Howl's Moving Castle, and through DJ, it is also an important theme in Superfish.
The reader gets their first in-depth look into who DJ is through him taking care of his friends, finishing up chores, and interacting with Aloo.
But, just as Sophie had inadvertently locked herself into a limiting life through responsibility, so has DJ. It is through meeting Howl, Calcifer, Markl, and the Witch of the Waste, that Sophie learns to live.
Who Sophie is doesn't change so much as her own confidence in herself and what she wants. The same will likely be true for DJ.
Meanwhile, Howl's life thus far at the beginning of the film has been defined by running away from himself.
When we see Howl absorb Calcifer, a fallen star, in a flashback from his childhood, I believe it was a metaphor for him developing a very fixed idea of what life should look like as a young child. He lost his child-like "heart" and couldn't see himself as worthy of love unless he embodied perfection, and in turn couldn't see anyone less than perfect as being worthy of care and attention. His treatment of the Witch of the Waste showcased this perfectly.
But, through the events of the film, he learns to find meaning beyond himself. When his heart is finally returned to him, and Calcifer is freed, the mosaic castle is gone. In its place are a group of people bound simply by choice and care for each other.
It is through Sophie that he learns all this. Similarly, through a life in the human world and his interactions with DJ and the rest of the Occult Club, Superfish is moving beyond the ideas inculcated into him by witch society.
At the beginning of Superfish, he is defined by being the "greatest witch that ever lived." Similarly, Howl is defined by being an unknowable and almost mythical presence that simply exudes power and wonder.
Through their acquaintance with DJ and Sophie respectively, they are personified to be more than simply their magical abilities. Howl is deeply ashamed of himself and his inability to be perfect, shown extensively through his attempt to curate everything about his appearance and life perfectly. Superfish, at the very least, has built a life revolving around being on the move. To him, being perpetually hunted down is perfectly normal. As is running away from his own nature and inclinations.
As Howl grows, he lets Calcifer go and loses the magic that kept the moving castle together in such a specific way. However, he gains a certain freedom to be human.
I believe Superfish will undergo something similar, and hence end the story no longer being defined by his magical abilities, but just by being himself. Magic may be a part of him still, but something of its nature will have changed. He likely will choose to reside permanently in the human world, as well.
