Well, I can tell you what I have been thinking about lately regarding Vita Sexualis. I believe it (along Maihime) is misunderstood in the West. Whenever the book is mentioned, usually in the bsd fandom, people describe Kanai as „an asexual person in an oversexualized world“. I personally find that interpretation superficial as it ignores the purpose of the book.

Mori Ogai wrote Vita Sexualis as a parody of the naturalistic writers of his time, such as Katai Tayama (Futon, 1907) and Homei Iwano (Tandeki, 1909). Those authors depicted sexual desire as an all-consuming, animalistic force that led their characters. Ogai rejected this. He argued against reducing human existence solely to biological impulses. Instead, he viewed sexuality as a link between the body and the spirit.

As you know, Ogai writes about Kanai’s sexual experiences throughout his life after reading a report on whether sexual education is important or not. In the narrative, we see Kanai’s experiences shaped by societal pressure, spite and curiosity as well as dealing with insecurities. He mentions several times he thinks he is frigid, however in the last chapter he reaches a very interesting conclusion:

"Somehow it seemed to him he was an uncommonly frigid person. Having come this far in his analysis, he at once thought it over again. Of course it had not been necessary for him to get 'dubbed.' However, he found any analysis superficial which implied that his knowledge about himself had blasted his passion. Even in the bowels of the earth covered with eternal ice, raging flames are furiously thrusting upward from a volcano. Mr. Kanai knew he wasn't incapacitated. He wasn't impotent. People in general let loose the tiger of sexual desire they have kept under leash and occasionally ride on its back until they tumble into the Valley of Ruin. He had tamed his tiger of sexual desire and controlled it. Bhadra was one of Buddha's disciples. He slept beside the tiger he had tamed. His young disciple was afraid of it. The meaning of 'Bhadra' is 'wise man.' His tiger was probably the symbol for sexual desire. It was certainly tamed, but its power to terrify and awe was not at all enfeebled."

I don't ship Mori with anyone. I believe those around him such as his subordinates respect him as a leader, but rarely see past that.

What Mori needs is a partner who understands the burden of leadership and aligns with his rationalistic, utilitarian philosophy. He cannot be with someone who stands against him—he would discard such a person immediately and I doubt they would even survive in his world. Instead, he needs someone who stands with him. Someone who sees past his mafia boss persona and understands choosing the optimal solution doesn't mean that you don't feel the weight.

He doesn't need anyone to change his worldview, he knows what he is talking about. He is not wrong that emotions are a hinderance in leadership or for survival in a violent world. That's why Fukuzawa doesn't fit. He opposes him entirely. Their fight over Yosano is a great example.

I know we've seen in canon his ideal depiction of a good leader (someone who makes the necessary sacrifices etc) and I think that really made him interesting to me and love him so much. He's so complex ughhh its so sad how most misunderstand or buy into the surface potrayal. I think the relation to power's really interesting in relation to beast where he's free of the boss title and working with children (which i assume is his hearts desire to raise them)

Im really interested if u have any thoughts on the elise guilt theory too ^^

Agh he's so interesting (and funny) and his writing is one of the best in a way u can really peel back the layers w him and his relations w others

i really love how bsd ties into the irl authors and their dynamics w others -- in mori's case his relation to yosano, i heard irl yosano was good friends w him!!

Sorry for the yap 😅 this kinda got away from me, tyy for comin here to share ur thoughts on mori!! He's so cool and its sad most dont view him as such, or have to preface they think he's creepy. Personally idm peoples hcs and fics but taking it as fact and harrassing others is crazy..

Anyway i would love to hear any of ur thoughts on mori, idh tiktok so it would be wonderful if u could share them here :")

Hope u have a good day 😁❤️

Hello! First, I’m so sorry for the late response. something came up unexpectedly and caused the delay.

Regarding your first question about Mori’s relationship to power and being the boss: Mori is, first and foremost, a power snatcher and a traitor within the mafia. He didn’t kill the former boss for power itself; he isn’t power-hungry in that sense. He did it for the city. As always, it was a rational decision. I think Mori and Natsume realized that only Mori could shoulder that responsibility, and in a way, Mori views himself as the only one capable of doing so without plunging the city into chaos through the mafia.

I’d also like to point out that his first strategy was to use the Immortal Regiment to defeat the former boss, not to become the boss himself. However, after that failed, his optimal solution changed. And while it does haunt him, I think he knows that no one else could have held that power for the city itself not personal gain. Naturally, people are usually consumed by power, like the former boss was. Mori is still paranoid about becoming worse or losing his balance, which is why Elise exists in her current form. I’ll elaborate on that later.

You mentioned his ideal depiction of a good leader, and I have to say that this is what made me so drawn to him as well: making necessary sacrifices, no matter how unforgiving or despicable they may be, for the greater good of the city and his people. Mori is human, just like the rest of us, but with far greater responsibility and trauma. He feels deeply and understands exactly what he is doing. He doesn’t lack humanity but he suppresses it for others. I actually find it hilarious when people hate on him for being cold and ruthless, knowing that without those traits, half the characters wouldn’t have survived.

I remember people mocking the idea that he thinks his strength is his kindness, but I disagree. You have to be incredibly kind-hearted to sacrifice your life for others, even if it means becoming a monster in their eyes and being chained to a life you never wanted.

In BEAST, he doesn’t work with children because he desires to. that’s a common misconception. Mori did it because of Dazai’s request, which he couldn’t defy. Mori is always like this. he never truly does what he wants. Still, I can’t deny it was an excellent choice on Dazai’s part. I loved the description of Mori as a “rational man who considers others,” and how he expresses himself more openly. Elise also doesn’t disobey or tease him, despite her sharp personality, which I interpret as Mori accepting himself and seeing himself as a better person. He also doesn’t need someone to create the balance I mentioned earlier—in this case, he needs someone capable and mature to support him.

The balance I keep referring to is what prevents him from losing himself. Something that steadies him and keeps him in check. I understand, and honestly don’t find it strange, that Elise has a sharp personality. Since everyone else keeps their distance from him and obeys his every word, a doll that does the same and is sweet would be… boring. It wouldn’t engage him emotionally or keep him grounded. That doesn’t mean Mori enjoys being disobeyed or treated horribly. That’s a very different matter.

Elise looking at him with disgust tells a lot about how he sees himself. Someone who doesn’t hate themselves wouldn’t find it appealing to create something that looks down on them, unless they see themselves that way or need that balance in their life. I think she serves as an emotional outlet for him. As for the guilt, I definitely agree. The official art gives it away, as well as Harukawa speaking about Elise and Yosano’s similarities in an interview. I do think Elise represents his guilt and other suppressed emotions.

One thing I need to point out is that we don’t know what happened with Mori before and after the bomb Yosano planted. Was she his original sin? He talks about his “childlike innocence” with Elise when he appears after Atsushi defeats Lucy, but is he referring to the time with Fukuzawa or before the war/what happened with yosano? I think it would make sense if it were before the war. In my opinion, Mori was tainted during the war as well, so describing that period with fukuzawa as “childlike innocence” feels slightly off. But then again, this is Mori. we truly know nothing “real” about him beyond his ideal depiction of leadership.

I agree with the rest of your points. Mori is one of those characters many people could relate to if they’ve ever carried a strong sense of responsibility. He’s eccentric, but calling him creepy is a stretch. It’s quite canon that he’s polite to everyone, even when he’s cruel and cold when necessary. To me, he’s deeply human, and from his point of view, he genuinely did everything he could for others. I also think people forget how deeply affected he is by the war and much of his behavior is a coping mechanism and the result of distorted views, though I don’t think those views are necessarily wrong.

Anyway, I’ll leave it here. My TikTok has the same username as my Tumblr:)