#miriden

I LITERALLY DO NOT THIS COULD BE LIKE 40 DIFFERENT MFS

Was originally gonna further incorporate the plant symbolism into this but I'll leave that for another thread.

So in the link below, I mentioned that the clovers present as an organic backdrop to match the butterflies as opposed to showing them framed as specimens, decor on a wall like the paintings on Fumiko's cover.

Miri's cover places him in a setting that's closer to open nature as opposed to the caged appearance of Fumiko's cover (indoors, casted shadow of window grilles) yet at the same time appears unnatural and embellished.

The butterflies appear to be where they belong yet they're still pinned.

The four leaf clovers acting as their wall, and I'm thinking about this as Miri's attachment to what the clovers represent in what he projects and desires out of Denji as both a human and the hero.

To start off, vol.16 opens with ch.134 (Ordinary Happiness) and closes with ch.143 (Rawr) [from wiki]

Chapters 134. Ordinary Happiness (普ふ通つうの幸しあわせ Futsū no Shiawase) 135. Sentimental Drive (センチメンタルドライブ Senchimentaru Doraibu) 136. Normal Life (普ふ通つうの日ひ々び Futsū no Hibi) 137. Chu Chu Lovely Muni Muni Mura Mura (チューチューラブリームニムニムラムラ Chū chū raburī muni muni mura mura) 138. Sword Man (ソードマン Sōdoman) 139. A Chair's Feelings (イスの気持きもち Isu no Kimochi) 140. Scales (天秤てんびん Tenbin) 141. Normal Life Plus (普ふ通つうの人じん生せいプルス Futsū no Jinsei Purusu) 142. Denji Fan Club (デンジファンクラブ Denji Fan Kurabu) 143. Rawr (がおー Gaō)

The first segment of the vol. features Denji taking a back seat as the csm as the Church takes over his role as hero. This being an opportunity for Denji to live a normal life for Nayuta after his talk w Yoshida.

The middle segment introduces Fumiko and Miri, as well as Denji being asked to join the Church as the csm instead of choosing his normal life.

And the last segment delves into the Church's terrorism w Barem's reasoning of what being a hybrid entails as Miri is made to reckon w the nature of his humanity and purpose.

Four leaf clovers are typically recognised as symbols of good luck/a good luck charm. And on the surface, this can be a reflection of the heroism Miri sees in his shared hybridhood with Denji, a form of knighthood as Sword Man alongside Denji's Chainsaw Man as humanity's protector. Their identities as hybrids viewed as a blessing of greater purpose.

But going a little deeper, the leaves of the clover each also represent something.

This could be faith, hope, love and luck. Or, wealth, fame, love and health.

It's a little noteworthy that the leaves themselves are shaped like a heart too.

These meanings too reflect the dichotomy of Denji's heart in the form of his "both choices". Who he loves as well as what he pulls the starter connected to his heart for.

Yoshida urges Denji to see the good in living a normal life. The life that will prove satisfactory to him over the path of the csm. A life that Denji is fortunate to have as Yoshida's hope.

All while the csm has had an opulent influence over the world with his fame as Denji revs his engine to get back up again and again for his steak.

(More on the steak here.)

Yoshida and Barem frames Denji's choices as mutually exclusive when they're two sides of the same coin, the love Denji gives and craves in the presence and absence of family. The public's attention as his steak.

The steak Miri boasts about having being part of the Church as the Church overshadows Denji's deeds all over the media.

But ultimately Denji decided he'll do without the steak everyday.

I want to talk about ch. 141 for a bit. First, the opening.

We see Denji going about his daily routine with Nayuta, picking up the discounted csm buns. His fame has been impacted and so has his heroism in this path that he took. Half-off.

Him strolling pass the posters of Asa as a devil unceremoniously appears and gets taken care of.

It kinda ties back to both Denji's first encounter w Miri looking at the posters talking about how the csm is placed next to a nobody, contrasted w Yoshida's reasoning that Denji is not a movie protagonist and the world will go on without him.

The scene of Denji and Miri before the posters w Yoshida's framing of the movie protagonist almost seem like Miri's commenting on the poster and the csm acts as the inverse of Yoshida's take. The life and endeavours of the csm as poetic, illustrative drama, film as the Church's recruitment.

Too important and grandiose to be placed next to a "fresh-faced nobody" as Miri puts it.

Yet there's an irony in the way this is presented to the readers. This is the moment of Miri's proper debut, the chapter itself is titled after him, after all. And due to being obscured by his hoodie, we don't see his face.

He was himself, a "fresh-faced nobody" to Denji and the readers until the moment of his revelation, introducing himself as Sword Man. Alleviating his status to someone who should be of relevance to Denji as the csm.

Back to 141, despite the chapter being titled "Normal Life Plus" we see Denji's despondency in the fading of himself as the csm. But at the same time, we can see the gap reflected in the title as well, if we were to read it as "normal life plus ___.".

The half off buns were eaten and Denji contemplates his both choices once more.

Wondering if this is truly his path to happiness, to which Nayuta promises him the lifelong love of her company as his family and he takes her into his arms like the first time when he promised Pochita to give Control lots of hugs and be family for her. This would be the answer to Denji's original dream as he holds a girl to sleep as he's loved by family once more, no longer chasing the steak.

The normal life of his dreams that he reached by thinking, he loves and is loved here as the human student with Nayuta.

And in the next page after this, we see the Church hybrids discussing their great plan at the Family Burger joint. A place that brands itself on being for families in all of its artificial family-like glory.

And it's here that Miri tries to establish himself as human when he's told not to think as a weapon.

Barem tells him that there's no separation in his identity even as a human. Miri's personhood, agency as a human an illusion and impression of the human student he believes he is shared w Denji.

This artificiality that Barem argues while his plans a misconstruction of Makima's dream for family built on brand and dogma as he hopes for the csm's return through the destruction of Denji's family. As we see the branding of Family Burger shown alongside his preachings of their given purpose.

And now ch.143. Miri is sent to kill civillians, specifically women and children by going for their limbs. And there's something poignantly poetic here as it plays out.

Miri looking at the boy he's about to kill, a child like him, as he takes on the role of a weapon as ordained by "god" for the Church.

The separation of himself from his would be victims as blades sprout from his arms to deliver their dismemberment through his hand. But he is himself dismembered instead, his arms cleanly chopped off along with his head. The mark of his weaponhood, his thoughts as a human.

This being delivered by Quanxi, a fellow hybrid, a hardened devil hunter and a ruthless assassin. And it's her neutral "rawr" that sends the child running and screaming instead of Miri.

Miri prevented from enacting his role as even a devil and a weapon, unceremoniously taken out with nothing to his name, not even fear. By the hybrid who's considered to be closer to devil yet loves as a human too as she allows herself to be a tool.

Esp. when we consider her offering herself up to be dismembered to save her lovers. Though that love proved to be futile as she's claimed as a trophy and robbed of her agency nonetheless.

Miri couldn't see himself in Denji's humanity even as he tries to grasp what defines Denji's humanity and then he's outdone by Quanxi's even in her brutality as a weapon who preaches the bliss of ignorance.

And as he burns Denji's house and family, the disconnect between them is made all the more apparent as Denji returns to being a weapon once more. His flippancy to what losing home and family means for Denji, that it merely makes Denji "angry" as Denji spirals in distress as he relives loss and pain. Miri's belief that these are simply necessary steps for saving the world.

He clings onto Denji through the final shred of imitation heroism provided by Whip in his belief that he was alleviating them but instead dragged Denji back with him into the cycle of stasis as weapons.

(Thinking about how Miri is referred to by his human name here and not the hybrid moniker he came up with vs "Save me, Chainsaw Man." as the cry for help. The irony.)

His humanity anchored in Denji. The taxidermy of the butterflies superimposed and pinned against the clover hearts for greater purpose as Miri brandishes his sword.