#impulse analyses

I SCRATCHED MY HEAD SO SHARPLY SEEING WHERE YOMI DECIDED TO END UP

Even though I knew his fight with Yusuke has shown him something new and has awakened something new in him, I really thought Yomi was going to continue being a deprecating dirtbag. Glad to see I was wrong and that Yomi would go on a journey towards a better self. Also happy to see that he respects Kurama's wishes to leave his past self behind.

It did take some of the intrigue I saw in Yomi into a sudden 180 (I feel like there was a lot more to be said with Yomi's character). But I dig the message. I guess one good experience with a fellow being has the potential to change someone who was in a 500-year-long stalemate of a war.

The small decision to have Kuwabara in spirit (figuratively, not literally) in certain moments was a really nice touch. It shows how much of an impact he had in characters such as Yusuke and Kurama. It really got me when Kurama started thinking of Kuwabara and he smiled afterwards. Being a friend of Kuwabara really meant something for him, and using this as a way to show that was a really good call.

Literal cherry on top of this story of identity

Because I heard the ending was not the best (according to notes from Togashi), I was really curious as to how the tournament (and the series as a whole) would wrap itself up in less than 2 episodes (because it did seem like there would've been a lot more fighting had there not been a timeskip). Then the story pulls a HxH tenfold and gets to the end of the fights in no time.

Yusuke lost, but so did Yomi. The tournament and the state of the three worlds resolved in a pretty well-thought-out way (a bit corny, but it worked to give a hopeful ending).

Seeing that the characters (probably) won't be getting growth after this, I'm actually kinda disappointed with where a few ended up:

Yusuke still has a bit of a rough, spiky exterior

Hiei is still a brooding lone wolf who refuses to reveal his secret to Yukina

The seeds are set, and the characters came out of this as better & more well-rounded people compared to where they first started:

Yusuke is more committed than ever to giving life a good shot and growing up

Hiei backs down on his decision to give Kurama the necklace ("You'll give this to her, at your own pace")

In those respects, I like the hopefulness this part of these two journeys convey. Really good riveting lessons and themes all around (accept yourself, it's okay to feel a lot of things during your journey; it's okay to take a while to get to something, just try to get some closure with the people and things you care about before you regret it; just keep living and living in a way that fulfills you)

But for an ending to an anime of +100 episodes, I'm a little mixed on these two. It's like if Hunter x Hunter ended after the Chairman Election arc. The characters progressed just enough to see the horizon (some can see it more than others), but it's definitely not the end for them. Maybe the last episode will show a bit of something

I don't hate it, I just felt like it could've been handled a tad better. But yes, I wholeheartedly understand and respect the reasons why Togashi wanted to end the story where he ended it. Health is miles more important than a perfect story

also when Kurama said "I'm not interested in you that way" to Hiei, I died a little inside. I really thought they would've, idk... They seemed to have helped each other crop their positive traits up when they first appeared.

also

JORGE WAS THE NARRATOR LETS GOOOO

some notes about Ep 109 & 110

109: I felt so bad for both Hiei and Mukuro by the end of their fight. They deserve everything good that can and will come their way. Really loved how their fight was essentially an encounter where they both learn to see value in each other & themselves, and one where they help free each other from their pasts. A fight that I think would resonate with a great amount of people

110: Yomi and Yusuke being toxic rough rowdy fighting guys is so funny, heartfelt, and,

actually, for some reason, it's also sad, to me. It's hard to explain the last one, I'm only having these thoughts now.

Like, at this point in the story, both of these characters really only have fighting (and proving their strength) as their one outlet to feel something, to make their mark on the world, and maybe even to feel seen. I thought Yusuke vs. Chu was pushing it with the humanity and the subtle tragedy of it all but holy moly. These guys may be smiling through those punches, but I hope they may smile more often. I'm proud of them for finding something to smile about. But man does it have to be like this?

...WAIT A GOD DANG MINUTE

Shura yelling for Yomi at the climax of Yomi vs. Yusuke, and that being the thing that kept Yomi standing, is also nice, come to think of it.

Shura, despite suffering a brutal, even personal loss to his father, still loved him enough to cheer him on.

Yomi, after realizing that his son, no, after realizing that at least someone, cares for him, sees one reason to keep standing.

They both saw value in each other (and themselves) at the end :)

Yeah you go take that journey and come out of it a better person Yomi or I'll yank your ears

Edit: if i got something wrong, feel free to let me know. Thanks for reading!

Also team masho oh my lord I'll miss that team of goofballs

Loved Kurama’s choice of tree to grow to victory: it’s very indicative of which identities he chooses to part with and which identities to keep (if it wasn’t obvious already with him changing back out of his “Yoko” form and into his “Suichi” form). I wanted to cry the moment I realized the color of the petals on both the tree in Kurama’s family flashback and the tree he used to win were deliberately the same. Then I wanted to cry even more seeing Shigure jump to his death (“a swordsman is never defeated twice”) as Sad Beautiful Memory played in the background. I liked Shigure design-wise and character-wise :(

The characters shown here (Kurama, Yomi, and Shigure), complemented with the use of current supporting cast (Kurama’s friends), neatly convey themes of identity, and how it can be used as a reason and/or an excuse for certain choices (not that you should ever use your identity for any heinous acts, but we’ll get to that.)

Kurama “wins” the question/themes by choosing an identity that both he and others can be happy with (Kurama with his human, non-Yoko identity). Despite it meaning to be a disappointment and an initial failure to both competition and peers, Kurama chose to not put on his “Yoko” self any longer, as he was happier as his “Suichi” self.

It was a decision despised by Yomi, as he wanted Kurama at his best for this tournament.

It was a decision that even Yusuke was concerned about, as Kurama risked his life to a more unnecessary degree just because he didn’t want to be associated with a name, face, and identity he hated (a valid motivation, don't get me wrong, but it was a motivation that was going to get him killed if he wasn't careful). If you got the impulsive, reckless character among your circle wanting you to make a move, you know something’s up.

But it was a decision that Kurama wanted to make anyway, to show both those around him and himself that he could be the person he wanted to be any day of the week.

Yomi and Shigure “fail” the question/themes by choosing an identity and a life that not only puts a burden on themselves, but others as well. Yomi makes it clear that he has a high standard for Kurama’s performance in the tournament, mainly because he ties his identity so closely to his status, to Kurama, and how much of a fighter he is compared to Kurama. Purposefully or not, Yomi puts pressure on Kurama just because he (Yomi) wants to feel GOOD about his standing compared to Kurama (a former superior to Yomi). Yomi is very much stuck in the past, and refuses to process his past in a way that helps both him and others. That’s why he decides to have a kid to beat during the tournament. He hasn't really found an identity beyond his past failures and his current strength.

Shigure also puts pressure on Kurama, but not as much as Yomi. Shigure tries to force interactions with Kurama during this fight, using his sword to provoke a reaction out of his opponent with every throw he makes. Not only that, but he also put pressure on himself (his “don’t lose twice or die” philosophy). As Kurama observed succinctly, Shigure didn’t have to jump to his death. But he did it anyway just because of his loss count. Part of me also thinks he jumped to his death because he saw the petals of Kurama’s tree and thought "damn what was i doing with my life this is beautiful" and just came to the conclusion that 1) He isn't worthy of such a sight, and/or 2) He wasn't living in a way that, in hindsight, he would have liked. Either way, he wasn't helping anyone nor himself by living the way he was.

- all this to say i like all the characters. I got my favorites, but they change every now and then . But all around, they're all well-written

- this might be a massive gut punch to the caine haters who hate him for keeping people trapped in a digital hellscape. But at this point, you should really just blame the people who made him, not caine himself

- GRANTED the people who made caine did not puppeteer him to create a "escape or no escape" adventure.

- BUT that very much contributes to the "entertain and keep everyone inside" directive he was programmed to do. So if ANYTHING, it goes back to the fuckers who programmed him.

- "OpenAI wants you to blame the machine", and you're kinda falling for it by attributing the circus's highs & lows to just Caine. "Why can't he just find a different purpose and let everyone go home" he's a man-made AI he can't that change his directive himself

- im not defending caine for his actions nor his lack of empathy, but I'd very much like people to treat him as an AI, and not an actual person who's deliberately out to make everyone's day worse while wanting people to love him, because he's literally just programmed to do the things he does

- i did not trust abel (mannequin npc) for a second.

- more fuel to the fire that zooble is genderfluid/enby (i think fluid because zooble says they don't have to stick to just one body) I'm so happy for them. Also love how zooble just keeps winning with the existentialism

- god, gangle makes me so sad. She deserves all the good things (i.e. being friends with Zooble), bless her heart

- kinger. He got his time to shine, so I'm not complaining. Odd that "abel" had beef against kinger. Wonder why that was written into the adventure

- ragatha. I like how she is not her usual bright self here. not that I think she should stay mad or scared, but i think with the cosmic/existential choice looming above her, this was a natural progression/turn for the character (maybe her recent quarrels with Jax had something to do with it?)

- pomni. Oh my god, she has grown so much as a character. Idk how to explain it, but she's gotten less anxious and more open & considerate of others (which kinda was the tipper when it came to making the "final choice")

- hope we get more from jax beyond just "he chooses to push away people around him because the losses of the frog and the clown affected him too much" because i think a lot more can be said about how he feels about the power dynamics between worker, work, and manager (i.e. what everyone else was struggling with this whole time)

- but we've got only two episodes so i honestly doubt it

The moment the armadillo appeared, that was my instant thought. I can't be the only one that thought this

Altivo, to me, felt like a mirror to Miguel because Miguel is show to be very energetic, social, and free-spirited.

What are horses commonly associated with? Freedom, connection, and power/energy

Like think about it, the first thing that Altivo and Miguel do the first morning at El Dorado is go into town and have fun with the people there (despite the people's initial prophecy interpretations)

Meanwhile, we don't get to see much of the armadillo

Both because it took the armadillo a while to catch up, and because it is not as adventurous as Miguel or Altivo

And in the one scene where the armadillo made in impact (the ball game) it willingly helped Miguel and Tulio cheat (much like how Tulio would be willing to cheat with loaded dice)

Like maybe the story didn't need to go so far as to include these parallels (if they were even intentional) but it is so fun to me that they did go that far