This really confuses me and had been bugging me for a while now, but why does fifteen (both light novel and manga adaption) imply that Dragon Head Conflict was before the events of Storm Bringer? Since Chuuya was stated to first use corruption in SB, and then used corruption in DHC where he was clearly already confident in using it, shouldnt DHC happen after SB?
Which order is it in?
I'm back with my analyses. And I fear this scene isnt talked about enough? Especially when it is such a key change for Atsushi and also a key moment for Dazai...
Atsushi had just been mind controlled -- something obviously out of his control, but he still held it against himself, thinking that he wouldve done something different when truthfully he couldnt have. Because he couldnt have known. which is why he started getting flashbacks and believing he is not good enough.
After listening to what dazai said to him after his advice, it was quite obvious to me dazai saw atsushi in himself. Powerless to change anything when he supposed he couldve.. isn't this similar to emotions one would deal with after someone dear's death? Much like odasaku's? When odasaku died it was likely dazai blamed himself while griefing because he 'couldve seen through their plans sooner' or 'got to oda and helped earlier' when truthfully this was entirely out of his control.
Many people say that the slap is too much and he shouldnt have done so to Atsushi, but i think its valid. More than valid. Atsushi's emotions plays a part in why Dazai made this choice, too. Over the past, Dazai had always been the one saving him. When he was adopted into the ada, when fighting against akutagawa, etc. When in dangerous situations, Dazai had always provided him comfort, although not directly.
So when Dazai tilted his face up, this was probably what atsushi expected too. Kind words of comfort. but instead he gets a slap. His first question would likely be 'why?'
Slaps are used sometimes to gain the attention of the other person through the awakening of pain. This is what Dazai was doing exactly, just so hed make sure the message gets through to Atsushi unlike previous times where hes just simply taken him in by comfort.
But this time he wanted the message to stick with Atsushi. With the pain of ths slap, it would. He wanted this for him, because he was unable to pull himself from his nighmare when oda died.
'i have no right to whisk you away from you own past' -- he wishes the best for Atsushi and knows he cannot change his past, like how he couldnt have saved oda, which is why he makes it clear this message HAS to stick with Atsushi.
'Stop feeling sorry for yourself. as long as you do, your life will be an unending nightmare' -- This line is one of the most genuine lines we've ever heard from Dazai. It is so obviously from experience, which is also likely why Dark Era was animated in early s2 before this. We werent ever told how dazai coped and felt after oda died but one can assume. 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. One of the most common things people do after some loved ones death is blame themselves, 'what if i did __ differently?'
But could one have known? Could one have saved said person? No. Dazai knew this and it is clear to me, seeing how often atsushi could blame himself, even when it is not when facing death, he does not want him to go through what he did.
This scene not only showed genuine emotion and from Dazai, it also showed how much he cared about Atsushi to imply his vulnerability through his own advice. This is one of my favorite scenes in early bsd and its so underrated or even interpreted wrongly. I wish people would look into them more ...