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BSD Dazai and the ADA vs the Port Mafia
May. 19th, 2017 12:23 pmThere's a lot of people on Twitter who are really adamant that Dazai isn't happy in the ADA and would be happier in the Port Mafia because he's still suicidal in the ADA. Like really adamant. Like "suck it people who support ADA Dazai" adamant. Which is why I'm posting my opinion here!
While I think Mafia!Dazai and Mafia Boss Dazai are pretty cool in their own right, my personal opinion is that Dazai is actually happier in the ADA. That was the take-away I had from reading the manga, watching the anime, and seeing that one of the BSD creators (I forget who said this) drew Dazai with dull eyes whenever he was associating with the Mafia, and more shining eyes (that might not be the right word; life-like eyes?) when he isn't with them.
My opinion is that I think Dazai is in a better mental place and is happier in the ADA than he was in the Mafia. While he is really, really well suited to the Mafia and I don't doubt he would make a great PM Boss, I feel like the Mafia was bad for him. Oda saw this, which is why Oda told him to leave. "Maybe you'll feel a bit better." And I think, for the most part, that has held true.
Yes, Dazai still makes suicide attempts. I don't think he's suicidal. None of the ADA!Dazai suicide attempts has ever felt serious. In fact, they seem like they are made to fail--the mushrooms, the floating around in the river thing (you would tie something heavy to yourself if you were trying to drown), and barrel thing (wtf Dazai?). They're used for comedic effect.
The one time suicidal!Dazai gave me chills, and where I actually felt scared for him, was during the Dark Era. That scene where the guy holds a gun to his head, and Oda tries to get Dazai to step back, but Dazai moves forward instead, begging the man to pull the trigger. He said afterwards that he knew the man wouldn't be able to hit his target, but that was the only time I felt like Dazai hoped that he was wrong and that the man would actually be able to shoot and kill him.
So why does Dazai still attempt suicide in the ADA and why is he so vocal about it? My personal interpretation, based on the nature of his attempts in the ADA and how he acts in the ADA vs how he acted in the PM, is that he's taken on being suicidal as a personality trait. Dazai has wanted death for a long time. It's become part of him. There is probably a part of him that still genuinely does want it, and that probably surfaces from time to time, not because he's unhappy but because past trauma and depression don't ever completely go away. But I think that for the most part, Dazai uses that persona to throw people off. He uses it to convince those at the PM that he hasn't changed, and he uses it so that his enemies don't underestimate him.
No one at the ADA seems especially worried, but they do seem like the type to worry if there was something to be worried about. Kunikida and Dazai have both confronted Atsushi (who is the other person in the ADA that seems to struggle with suicidal thoughts) about his past trauma and how he handles it. They don't stand idly by if something is wrong. It makes me think that at some point, Dazai's suicidal nature has come up for the ADA, and it has been discussed, and ultimately something happened that gave them a reason not to worry about it at this point in time.
That's all opinion, and that's all my own interpretation of what's been presented so far about Dazai. It would be really interesting to see Dazai going back to the Mafia after all of this, but I also feel like it is interesting to see Dazai struggle to fit his past in with his present of trying to be (and remain) a good man. It's an ongoing struggle, and I don't think it makes him any less complex or interesting to stay on the side of the ADA.
While I think Mafia!Dazai and Mafia Boss Dazai are pretty cool in their own right, my personal opinion is that Dazai is actually happier in the ADA. That was the take-away I had from reading the manga, watching the anime, and seeing that one of the BSD creators (I forget who said this) drew Dazai with dull eyes whenever he was associating with the Mafia, and more shining eyes (that might not be the right word; life-like eyes?) when he isn't with them.
My opinion is that I think Dazai is in a better mental place and is happier in the ADA than he was in the Mafia. While he is really, really well suited to the Mafia and I don't doubt he would make a great PM Boss, I feel like the Mafia was bad for him. Oda saw this, which is why Oda told him to leave. "Maybe you'll feel a bit better." And I think, for the most part, that has held true.
Yes, Dazai still makes suicide attempts. I don't think he's suicidal. None of the ADA!Dazai suicide attempts has ever felt serious. In fact, they seem like they are made to fail--the mushrooms, the floating around in the river thing (you would tie something heavy to yourself if you were trying to drown), and barrel thing (wtf Dazai?). They're used for comedic effect.
The one time suicidal!Dazai gave me chills, and where I actually felt scared for him, was during the Dark Era. That scene where the guy holds a gun to his head, and Oda tries to get Dazai to step back, but Dazai moves forward instead, begging the man to pull the trigger. He said afterwards that he knew the man wouldn't be able to hit his target, but that was the only time I felt like Dazai hoped that he was wrong and that the man would actually be able to shoot and kill him.
So why does Dazai still attempt suicide in the ADA and why is he so vocal about it? My personal interpretation, based on the nature of his attempts in the ADA and how he acts in the ADA vs how he acted in the PM, is that he's taken on being suicidal as a personality trait. Dazai has wanted death for a long time. It's become part of him. There is probably a part of him that still genuinely does want it, and that probably surfaces from time to time, not because he's unhappy but because past trauma and depression don't ever completely go away. But I think that for the most part, Dazai uses that persona to throw people off. He uses it to convince those at the PM that he hasn't changed, and he uses it so that his enemies don't underestimate him.
No one at the ADA seems especially worried, but they do seem like the type to worry if there was something to be worried about. Kunikida and Dazai have both confronted Atsushi (who is the other person in the ADA that seems to struggle with suicidal thoughts) about his past trauma and how he handles it. They don't stand idly by if something is wrong. It makes me think that at some point, Dazai's suicidal nature has come up for the ADA, and it has been discussed, and ultimately something happened that gave them a reason not to worry about it at this point in time.
That's all opinion, and that's all my own interpretation of what's been presented so far about Dazai. It would be really interesting to see Dazai going back to the Mafia after all of this, but I also feel like it is interesting to see Dazai struggle to fit his past in with his present of trying to be (and remain) a good man. It's an ongoing struggle, and I don't think it makes him any less complex or interesting to stay on the side of the ADA.
