/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46630623
>le moral and le themes
According to Nasu, themes are essentially everything. Stellar character/relationship writing is all there anyway and it goes beyond just the three of them.

Arc is obvious even to the willfully ignorant but how does one not appreciate all the subtle development for Ciel and Shiki? Did you miss how she's got self-hate and shame? Shiki's puppy-dog behavior(You seem to like slice of life parts so you should have picked up on this) is helping to positively enforce and change her opinions on herself and overwrite the fact that her immortality is a reminder of her sins as a victim of Roa. By the end she's asking the very body she hated for forgiveness and to not give up on her. Despite Shiki's feelings for vampires and his recognition(he was unconsciously trying to disassociate her from vampires), he accepts her for who she is and doesn't give a fuck because he loves her. He spends the story propping her self-esteem up which is exactly what she needed.

Roa is a snake that taints all he touches and whose obsession of immortality and eternity left behind an exceptional body whose nearly perfectly immortal. What he would find beauty and value in is what she found vile and disgusting. Something linked solely to sin, humiliation and tragedy. Her stolen humanity, her stolen normal life and even her stolen capability to die. She stopped living not so unlike the Dead, trapped by the past. And it's through her relationship with Shiki, who challenges her own disregard for herself that she witnesses her rainbow in the night and returns to being human. She finds her purpose.

They both find meaning within each other. He pays it forward in the end, reinforcing her own wish for atonement and the beliefs that saved him from despair. That glimpse of happiness and the life she could have had is represented by Shiki and while she doesn't believe it's her place or that she even can find forgiveness, Shiki is there to pull her forward with an unwavering heart. He who should prioritize himself above all else chooses to live and die for her, staying beside her on her journey, hoping the day will come when she forgives herself and having faith in her until the end. He's her miracle who embraced her as no one else could when she felt as if she deserved nothing. What animates her is the desire to prove his feelings are not misplaced.

His faith in her is why there is a bad end by taking things into his own hands and ending the fight with Noel early out of a selfish desire to spare Ciel pain. He understood, observant as he is, that it was not his story to end and instead prepares for the rightful star. The dynamic between Noel and Shiki here deserve its own exploration as they're two characters vying for the leading role(Nanaya stuff) which makes Shiki's choice all the more weighty. The one to put an end to it all had to be Ciel who he fought tirelessly for, always believing in her ability to triumph over the nightmares of the past that bound her. It was that belief, love and hope for their future that lets her awaken to reality and start truly living.

Pointing out how unique Shiki and Ciel are since they're literally the same person on some level through the process of becoming Roa. Shiki received the memories and records of Elesia as if they were his own. Toss in the trip down memory lane via Noel and you should see how unique their relationship is and the connection that is shared as hosts of Roa.

Moreover, Arc has a moment that Shiki falls in love with and is brought back to time and again, Ciel also has a comparable moment. That of an executor fighting a lonely, thankless yet heroic battle to protect everyone. Shiki admired that and would fall in love with it. He saw the truth of that moment before he understood it. The sorrow of a girl no different than any other, tears in her eyes and possessing a pain that he somehow understood. Of course he would, he's lost everything himself, even his past and capability to know his own loss. He sees her as the most important and lives for her. Their love for each other is complete, an appreciation both of the body and the heart. Of course as we see, she's not one to lose on love and will just as readily sacrifice it all for him. It's heavy and beautiful. Their love is that strong and the ending they arrive at in Ciel True was both hard fought, well earned and fulfilling. No matter the trials that await, they'll get through it together. Two sinners living the 'journey'/state of being of atonement. The fun has just begun.

Love is the ultimate power and answer to humanity's journey. The banal answer to life. When all else fails, Shiki will never run dry on love. They're cute and loveable as fuck together. The relationship gets full marks.

As I typed this, I realize how similar Shiki and Roa are in how they both have these images of the ones they love burned into the pages of their souls to never fade. Remake is actually a generational work.