no.1 yukito mutsuki fan

put them together becasue they are my babies anyway

i've totally overanalyzed kara no kioku because: what is even happening in this manga??? i'm not sure but i think it could be happening BETTER!!! my brain has created dots that dont even exist and started to connect them. i also very much love motifs/symbols so theres that.

Ramble Time: Let's talk Nagi. He's one of the first notable "antagonists" yet I don't see people discuss him? There's a few points that I use as the basis for my rambling, like him being bullied that causes his shadow to form in the first place, being a bit naive that belies his 'desire for destruction'/his desire to be in what he believes is 'right', as well as him trying to find a reason to be alive (actually, i completely forgot about this until i went back and skimmed knk for my ramble!) It's seriously unfortunate how well the Kara no Kioku cast (that aren't MCs -- also debatable?) could be written if there was just a bit more time focusing on them.

A while back when I was rereading Kara no Kioku, I mistook his shadow's transformation (you can see bits and pieces of it in ch14) to take an appearance similar to a plague doctor's mask, though I soon realized that was not the case, I also thought that fits Nagi's character somewhat well...

(bewarned!! i suck at history so things may be wrong) I'm assuming most people know what the bubonic plague is; being basically one of the worst things to hit the Middle Ages, and I will also be assuming most people know what a plague doctor is -- there were a good amount of plague doctors hired by governments without medical experience trying to cure people of a disease they hadn't found a cure to yet. If we put the concept of heart desolation/shadows in general in place of this info, Nagi fits the bill! He has little knowledge of zingai and their workings, whose being used as Yuu to "cure/correct" his tormentors, (well, its technically spreading an illness if anything, but work with me here!) they were also seen as harbingers of death, which aligns with how the desolation incidents and how most people involved get inflicted with it.

Nagi's zingai also has bug like antennae and wings, which I choose to interpret as a butterfly mainly for recognizability/'cause it's fun. I suppose if I were to try and find meaning in here -- butterflies are most commonly used to show the process of metamorphosis; growth into an adult through multiple stages. Of course, not with adulthood, but how Nagi comes to realize his character from his first appearance to his final. Butterflies are stereotypically seen as the most beautiful kind of insect; perhaps we can say that 'beauty' was Nagi trying to find his desire to live throughout everything? That's just me making stuff up on the spot.

My favorite time of all... Yukito time! He's awesome. Can you tell I like him? Unfortunately also suffers a bit from not-enough-character-development-itis like his dear friend Nagi. Yukito's backstory/details essentially involves how he's attempted to conceal his emotions from anyone he worries might take advantage of them -- he's pretty scared of being vulnerable. I wanted to have his outfit come across as soft/dainty... and then I gave him a big 'ole sword to contrast that. (also because he deserves to have it but thats off-topic) It's like a papercut, if that means anything.

I really wanted to give him a prince-like vibe, now I can't say I have any experiences with royalty (except that time i stood in the cold for like two hours to see king felipe... that hurt my legs a lot!!) but I feel like they're the type of people that encapsulate "look, but don't touch". I chose to use 'prince' over 'king' here, because while a prince is certainly in a position of power, they fall under the power of a king. The king here is... Yuu. I don't imagine there's much to explain here.

Going back to "powerful prince" idea, I feel Yukito holds some sort of power over Rei -- not physically (we know the outcome of that) but mentally. After all, it's not everyday you decide to go to hell to save for best friend from the literal devil. Yes, it is said that is Rei's motivation is the need to 'save' everyone who's been put in this mess, not just Yukito, but in a way, Yukito is sort of the initiative for this plan! Rei is so willing to start putting himself on the line once Yukito is involved. that Mai literally has to remind him to think straight instead of charging into danger impulsively. Here we come to 'keys' -- recent chapters that involves Yukito associates him with the idea of "being the key", that being the last piece that Yuu need's to get access to Rei and Q-Ta. I'm sure with how I described Rei's reaction, that Yuu is very much correct in this.

It's somewhat difficult to talk about Yukito without bringing up Rei, considering how their stories are so intwined (or, yukito being used to further rei's plot, but i prefer not to think about it like that.)

It was a bit of a last minute addition, but I thought it'd be neat to add that exposed 'sliver' of his back-skin. It's a showcase of his vulnerability again! It's not only to literally use the expression "backstabbed", but it's also in the shape of a heart to represent... well, his heart. Yukito is the only character to not possess a zingai when the story takes place (though he had one as a child,) which is interesting in itself; furthering the idea of him trying to hide his emotions even more.