#roshuuto

reishuuto be upon ye

+roshuutoless bed

because actually bonds with other people are the most important thing, and centrally this is also why REIGEN relies so heavily on bonds with others as something to create horror. the evil spirit mimics the voices of the ones you love and lures you in and when you’re at your most lost and scared and in need, that’s when you turn around and the face of the person you trust betrays you. tome only contracts the fatal curse in the first place because she cared about reigen and went back to make amends with him. because that’s the most horrifying, most terrifying thing, the thing that renders you absolutely helpless, isn’t it? it’s letting yourself rely on others and trust them to the point that it leaves you vulnerable, isn’t it? but you have to do it, if you want to achieve true connection then you can’t continue keeping up a veneer of Specialness and posturing as someone you’re not no matter how afraid you are of being seen as your true self. that’s the idea that really connects tome and reigen above all else. you have to be who you really are and you have to trust that you’ll be loved for it. and that’s horrifying! that’s an unimaginable, Forbidden terror! but it’s necessary. 

and also I think it’s so clever how REIGEN conveys this by only bringing in shigeo kageyama, the protagonist and most recognizable character who the reader has so many preconceived notions of, in at the last moment as a terrifying ghost who is impersonating him. I mean also it’s partially because shigeo can easily be made to look scary lol, because let’s be real, he can be pretty goddamn scary /hj BUT MOSTLY it’s to have him in his uniform, in his most recognizable and iconic form that the reader will cling to, and then have it be blown away by the post-canon shigeo, the real shigeo, the shigeo who has grown and changed and is no longer stuck in the role he once was. because to be vulnerable with others you have to grow and change and do away with old pretenses and dynamics that you’ve become dependent on. it can be scary to stop playing roles after you’ve grown use to them for so long, but you don’t need them - your most honest self will be the most loved. and also I love how just like tome could tell that it was the real reigen bcause he immediately ran into a spiderweb and yelled, you can tell that it’s the real shigeo because he’s immediately rude as fuck and he and reigen literally instantly go into their mean pithy little affectionate banter lol ok sorry anyway.

[ID: A panel from the Reigen manga. Reigen and Roshuuto stand side to side, Roshuuto being significantly more cut off by the frame of the panel. Someone offscreen says, "HM?" End ID.]

It’s an average day when Roshuuto Dozen randomly shows up at the office. There is a loud noise as he throws open the door.  

(Roshuuto is Reigen’s rival, he’s also a conman psychic that has an office down the street. He’s from the Reigen manga spinoff) Roshu: REIGEN!! ARE YOU FREE TODAY? 

Reigen isn't around. Ekubo looks up from his newspaper in confused annoyance. There’s no one else in the office.

Ekubo: Huh? He's not here right now Roshuuto: eh? Well that's rude.

Roshuuto: A high-level evil spirit? Who? YOU? Don’t make me laugh!

First, what kind of evil spirit works as an answering machine for a psychic office? 

The caption says Ekubo is annoyed, because it's true And what’s with the idiot makeup? What are those red circles on your face? 

Ekubo’s eye twitches. 

I’m a “Evil Spirit“ HAHAAHAHAH

(This is all Roshuuto talking. Ekubo doesnt say anything on this entire page.)

Don’t you have anything better to do? 

Caption: Roshuuto asking for it 100% (So 煽り Means someone that intentionally baits someone else into snapping.)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh my god my stomach hurts hahahahaha

Huh? Wait... what are you......

There is a flopping noise as the body falls over. Ekubo: Awww aren’t you just adorable. Mr Strongest psychic in the solar system.

Roshuuto instantly passes out. Caption: Overcome by fear Roshuuto wakes up and says:  of course I knew you were an evil spirit! I knew from the beginning. You were just so weak, it wasn’t worth mentioning! Ekubo thinks: What an ass. Ekubo: And?