Buraiden Gai Chapter 19 Discussion

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                        After reading so much Kurosawa I had forgotten how dark Fukumoto manga can be.  But, this is not the first time I've seen a naked man cage in his works.  I have seen it in Kaiji, and I hear rumours about one that is much worse in Gin to Kin.  But this is quite horrible, the canal of suffering, a dog house for these dogs to rot in.  One with fingernails that had fallen off of the insane former dogs.  If one stays here long enough I suppose that will help them find their human souls by reverting them into a baby or however this theory was supposed to go.  I can see this driving them insane to that point.  Interestingly, my friend did suggest that this idea about needing to melt the rod to reform these corrupt people is a real theory.



The logistics of this is interesting, it ties back to the prostrating guys who have had hardened bones stuck in that position as cripples due to being here so long.  I questioned the plausibility of that and my friend suggested that posture is the same, so I suppose that makes sense.  But, I didn't assume class would a process that went on for years.  Does the director really plan to keep these kids here for as long as it takes, I suppose by dropping food into the holes?   If so, they would really fight for food like insane naked dogs.  We did see those boys outside of his office had left, were they cured?  How would he tell when they had their souls saved?  And can't the kids just lie down as to not become cripples?  I suppose these will be answered in time but this could get horrifying, especially when the kids have to go to the bathroom. :S



I did think the director stood out this chapter.  It did something that I've seen Fukumoto do before, it made the current antagonist show disdain for the larger antagonist!  It's a charming way to make them relatable. The director honestly believes that he is saving these kids when no one else can, he may kill them if they're no good, but he is going to reform them!  It is sick the way he talks like this is for their sake, like he is an angel, he does act in such a way that I could see him needing to be reformed, and his theory is questionable, but he does believe he is doing good.  Hirata keeping tabs on Gai, scoping the place out as if he was planning to send someone here, and showing that he doesn’t believe in the directors reformation means he could still see the good in Gai and the bad in Hirata at some point.



The two new guys on the job will probably come up again.  I still wonder how this place is funded, and just who these people who work here are.