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zutomayo's 低血ボルト/FASTENING mv and the split of the self as salvation GO
nira has an alter ego in FASTENING who i'm gonna refer to as shovelmayo
this entity for most of the song is presented as antagonistic but it was actually born as nira's own salvation
this entity for most of the song is presented as antagonistic but it was actually born as nira's own salvation
in the beginning shovelmayo is depicted as monstrous and most importantly, faceless. the viewer is meant to view this entity in a negative light
but what shovelmayo does is actually give nira the shovel - a weapon to defend and save herself
but what shovelmayo does is actually give nira the shovel - a weapon to defend and save herself
for the rest of the mv, the story we can infer is shovel mayo is a mirrored alter ego who has gone rogue and constantly possesses nira to destroy the city that she lives in...
...a city possibly designed and controlled by "grandpa".
"grandpa" is a character that first appeared in 正義/JUSTICE as someone close to nira and also someone she presumably can never see again. JUSTICE is done by the same animator which means - by my theory - it takes place in the same timeline as FASTENING
the story of JUSTICE is expanded in FASTENING. it can be inferred that 1. shovelmayo's exploits are the reason why the nira of JUSTICE can never see grandpa again 2. the nira of JUSTICE and the nira of FASTENING are actually 2 different people
but why grandpa? he looks like such a good guy and to destroy him shovelmayo must be a villain right.
except zutomayo released HAM right after FASTENING and i lost my mind.
except zutomayo released HAM right after FASTENING and i lost my mind.
HAM's mv is a lot less cryptic and a lot easier to understand so go watch it yourself and then come back here for spoilers
like i said when i watched HAM i lost my fucking mind because the multiplicity of nira isn't just reincarnation shenanigans. to begin with. there has always been at least two niras. either clones or twins, there was always two of them.
and this really made me look at the rest of zutomayo's mvs in a different light THERE ARE TWO (2) OF THEM. TWO (2) OF THEM THAT CAN INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AS DIFFERENT PEOPLE and that confirms that the niras in JUSTICE and FASTENING are different people
like they're not just different iterations of each other they're completely different people A anyway i should get back to my point
HAM's story is incredibly clear cut. the other nira was taken into some fucked up experiments and that's why they were separated. the experiments were conducted by this character and i can only assume he's grandpa despite the slight differences in design
coming back from HAM to FASTENING... this is probably what it means, right? this is what they were telling us, right?
the city in FASTENING is the same metaphorical space as the test tube the light haired nira were trapped in. like. here she is. unconscious and trapped
the city in FASTENING is the same metaphorical space as the test tube the light haired nira were trapped in. like. here she is. unconscious and trapped
when you don't know about the truths HAM revealed yet it's easy to see the nira in the city (who i'll refer to as shironira and the other nira as kuronira god help me there are too many niras) did not at all want to hurt grandpa because he means a lot to kuronira
but FASTENING is a story about defying authority. it's a parallel of HAM except way more violent and with more shovels. it's about standing up against somebody who had incredible influences on your whole life...
...and overcoming your guilt to punish them for what they'd done to you life.
and to do that... shironira needed to come to terms with shovelmayo. it's not just an evil alter ego, it's an entity that embodies the parts of her that always questioned grandpa and wanted to stand up for herself
in the climax of FASTENING, shironira finally comes face to face with shovelmayo on even standing. the composition in this shot is important: shovelmayo is no longer seen as darkness, it's the light that would save shironira, as it has always tried to do
as shironira finally accepted shovelmayo as part of herself, they finally became complicit, and the city that always lulled and trapped shironira truly crumbled away.
and the entity that is shovelmayo finally gained a face: nira's face. she finally accepted it as herself and accepted herself for all that she was.
the more comfortable you are in your skin... the more you become invincible.
the more comfortable you are in your skin... the more you become invincible.
