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u kno, it& #39;s well established that a3! is about found family. But another important thing tying into...yeah all the characters is this:
A homage to lost childhood.
A homage to lost childhood.
i mean a lot of the family stuff ties into childhood, too, of course. Like, it& #39;s within the "found family" ideas but I think it& #39;s substantial enough that it can be its own thing.
Sakuya - essentially was a lost child, drifting from family member to family member. Now, with people who appreciate him for who he is, he& #39;s able to settle. He has found the childlike wonder in himself and doesn& #39;t have to resign to a fate of fading away.
Masumi - A child lost to loneliness, not knowing what it is to love. With people around to nurture him, he is able to find what love is to him. He clings selfishly to his love like he never had the power to when he was younger, and he can grow into someone secure in his feelings.
Tsuzuru - Tsuzuru took on the role of parent from the time he was young, essentially sacrificing his childhood to ensure that his younger siblings would have one. At Mankai, he doesn& #39;t need to hold anything back. He can indulge in his fantasies, dive deep into them//
// and be creative in a way he didn& #39;t allow himself to be before. He lets himself be petty and a little snappy and just /not perfect/ because he doesn& #39;t have to fulfill a parent role anymore.
Itaru - Itaru EPITOMIZES the ideas I speak of. He lost his childhood to betrayal and being constantly reminded that he needed to be someone else. He attempts to immerse himself in a more ideal childhood with his games, but they are just a temporary fantasy... until Mankai.
Mankai embraces Itaru for exactly who he is—no more and no less. His "adult" working mode is /just as important/ as his childish side. What& #39;s different at Mankai is that he doesn& #39;t have to hide his childishness, like he hid his child self behind spectacles and fabricated disease.
He is now unapologetic and shameless in his immaturity because Mankai allows him to be who he never could before.
Citron - [WARNING FOR MAJOR ACT 8 SPOILERS]
Citron pretty much resigned to his fate since he was young. Was he joyful and childish when he was young? To an extent, but his duty loomed over him. He resolved to be selfless at his own expense.
Citron pretty much resigned to his fate since he was young. Was he joyful and childish when he was young? To an extent, but his duty loomed over him. He resolved to be selfless at his own expense.
[ACT 8 SPOILERS]
That is, until his trip to Japan, finding Mankai. Of course, until his arc resolved in Zahra, duty to his country weighed on him. With Mankai& #39;s help, and with proper communication, he is no longer tethered.
That is, until his trip to Japan, finding Mankai. Of course, until his arc resolved in Zahra, duty to his country weighed on him. With Mankai& #39;s help, and with proper communication, he is no longer tethered.
He can do what he loves, finally able to embrace his own desires without a sense of impending loss. He can be fully present.
Chikage - To be honest, his journey to childhood is clearly far from over... Human warmth. Indulgence. Faith. Peace. He& #39;s found bits of those, but his sense of self is so fragmented because of unresolved grief and trauma that he needs SUBSTANTIAL closure before he can//
// find and embrace his lost childhood in a meaningful way.
He still sees himself as a protector of Mankai from the shadows more than as one of Mankai.
Tenma - Tenma has pretty much depended on himself since he was young. His perfectionism and anxiety are products of that. With Mankai, he doesn& #39;t have to do everything on his own anymore. He still has a lot of trouble with admitting when he& #39;s struggling, //
// but he& #39;s doing a whole hell of a lot better than he was. At 16, he& #39;s finally made his first friends, and he& #39;s learned that they will be there for him even when (rather, especially when) he messes up.
Yuki - Oh, Yuki. Yuki, Yuki, Yuki. Yes, he is slowly learning to depend on others. Yes, he is unapologetically himself. But there& #39;s still this sense that...if he doesn& #39;t contribute what he feels he should, he feels that he& #39;s failed. Even with the Sardines event story//
// which seems to address this, he& #39;s still dependent on having to produce something substantial to have "earned his spot" in the troupe...? He works himself so hard that he doesn& #39;t really have a chance to just. Let loose without feeling like he has to meet expectations.
Muku - Muku is really interesting but also straightforward. Rather than feeling that "being a prince" is just something he must accept is pure fantasy, he is learning that he can actually embrace that ideal in his own life!!
Misumi - Misumi is...he& #39;s hard to get a read on. Outwardly he seems to effortlessly embrace himself and his interests, but he has worries that rarely see the light of day. Being honest about his worries is part of his journey. Unlike his blood family, Mankai will listen to him.
Kazunari - A post I saw about him is actually what inspired my initial tweet and this thread! He carried so much BAGGAGE: disappointment for him not being a doctor, worries about being accepted, transforming to a whole other person and not knowing who he really is. //
// With Mankai, Kazu can find himself again. He is learning to speak for himself. He can find joy in doing EXACTLY what he wants to do, how he wants to do it. He allows himself to explore and to /not know/ right away. He feels safe playing and experimenting, free of expectations.
