Dazai from Bungou to Alchemist really be sitting on the corner and crying rn ngl Nice to hear about BSD though! The misrepresentation is mostly a fandom thing, to be fair. Asagiri knows what's he's writing about and it 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 if you really go after it, especially in the light novels.
Nothing that claims to be based off a real person is actually based on them it's based on the stories about them, be it told by others or by themselves in the case of authors BSD is a good example of this because it's based on real life info of their authors and their most known works, the main protagonist of no longer human was a jokester that's why in anime his eagerness to delete himself is presented as a joke. Something this video is not mentioning is that the anime featuring Dazai are always what ifs about Dazai having a better support system that could have saved him. BSD always goes along with his antics but when he makes a mildly serious comment about committing his friends always stop him. I really like the isekai Dazai too because the author puts him in a scenario where he has to save people in a similar situation to him, creating a version of Dazai that feels closer to the real one than his No longer human character. Side note but I love the special ending of BSD wan with Atsushi singing, it's beautiful.
... Oh my god, you're right, Itoshiki Nozomu is a reference to Dazai Osamu- I never clocked it. (Also, the authors portrayed in Gaiden asked to be there, so it's not that they're not bothered, they genuinely wanted it to happen.)
they hate each other in the show too, but because they show even the slightest bit of trust in each other and are capable of working together, everyone just decided to ship them 😭
Technically, most have opposite relationships in stray dogs (Ranpo is a Poe fan, Dazai is a Akutagawa fan etc.) But the ship dynamic is more enemy to lovers/ enemies& lovers
@@nightwishisthegreatestband6355 because fans (not just for BSD) love the interaction rivals have with each other (ex. Zoro and Sanji from One Piece). They have constant arguments and fights, but they stop at certain times because they need to work together. And BSD made it clear at the beginning that they had a similar relationship. But it would be really sad/messed up if people wanted the real ones (who have a bad relationship with harassment and bullying) to be a thing because of a manga/anime using their names. I doubt you would want your bully as your lover.
Also I feel like the characters are very loosely based on the real authors, I get the point but it is unfair to slack a thing that's not 100% committed to the point that people dislike it for. This isn't a commentary on the video btw!!! This is a good video. 2:50 is exactly my point hahah
Okay, I do agree that Sensei from Isekai Shikkaku is probably the most "offensive," but---this is mainly from being a manga reader---they actually kinda give that similar level of depth to him that Reincarnated Dazai has tbh. I think the story gets really good with how it's no longer a shitpost but, weirdly, a great drama that does respect its characters. Dazai still gets the suicide jokes, but he is also respected by the story, and there's more to him than that. The anime isn't there yet, so your insight makes sense. However, as a manga reader, he's my favorite Dazai for a good reason. That and this universe version of Tomie (Sacchan) is excellent. She isn't a villain like how the world made her after her death, but she isn't as slandered either. I could gush about this series if I could. But also hope reincarnated Dazai gets translated someday since your description intrigued me, and I heard a version of Tomie is in it. Also, I'm not caught up with the anime or manga of BSD; my issue is that it is more of the fandom doing weird stuff regarding Dazai and almost forgetting he's a representation of Dazai. Some of the jokes in the anime are eh, but I do think he's interesting from what I watched; it's just the Dazai fans for BSG, from what I see, are either actually chill or "insane," but that's just me. Excellent video, and yeah, I'd never be that interested in this kind of literature if it wasn't for those series.
Also tbh, I kinda got into IS because I also thought Dazai was very hot in this (I have a thing for black, small irises on anime characters) and that I thought this would be a good guilty pleasure. Just ended up becoming my favorite hyperfixation lol.
Sorry for the essay yapping TwT It's just nice to see the BunAl mention, and wanted to add some extra thoughts as a past player BunAl is in a pretty niche corner, and you're right that the anime couldn't capture everything deep, it's due to being more of an introduction entry to the title. Most details are heavily related knowing the authors' past trivias or some of the ingame mechanics, like the time-manipulator gadget (they're used for skipping the waiting time for summoning,ect.) There's more focus on the historic connections BTS, the devs working together with the irl relatives and museums, and the possible interactions between all the authors in the game, even western authors. There's also differences between the anime and game's universe like the Library being a bubble universe instead of run by the government (think of it as Touken Ranbu but with authors, same concept). Taint feeds of on negative emotions towards literature, episode 3(?i need to rewatch) shows how it affects irl, if people feel discouraged to ever pick up a book or worse, forget about it, the past and its influences also disappear. The reason it's the authors summoned and diving into these books because their souls exist in these books. It's implied there might be a mastermind behind the taints, aka why the gov is involved, sending alchemists (aka you, the blue gem in anime's case) to summon the writers. Funfact: their main weapons are categorized in different genres (blade-pure lit., gun-poetry, ect.) It's a bit mixed with my own interpretation, it is said that they are indeed the irl authors' souls, but there might be a bit outside influence with how they are fully manifested as, like Cat said in ep 1; 'You are Dazai, but not Dazai. Just a phantasm created by the image of Dazai.' It seems their overall...transfigurated identities for in-universe logic is based on how they are collectively or wanted to remembered as, that might have the result of some of these summoned writers feeling flat or fiction tropey (despite having the soul n memories of the irl writer), after all, no one can understand someone better than the person itself . From BTS, funny thing is, besides the added details associated with each writers, there was not much thought put into their hairstyles at all XD They really just gave Akutagawa the most luscious hair bcuz hahah pretty man (source: 2017 famitsu interview). Something that was cool that Dan (big knife guy) is the first who appeared outside the game before being added later (the crowd cheered when he was finally revealed, THEY TEASED THIS GUY'S APPEARANCE WAY TOO LONG-) Back to anime, it is... not the best. The beginning was fine, but the end plot was uh weird in execution, the concept of the taint using an author's last moments' wish as image was interesting on paper, but it turned into uh out of characterish? 😅It goes beyond not just about Dazai but also other few connected to Akutagawa too, like Kume (it was something with his behavior iirc from old discussions, their relationship is way more layered than what is shown). So tldr; even the anime is not the best handling some of the character connections to a deeper level. Idk what else to add LMAO help, I'm not the most knowledgeable with the finer details and possible I still messed up some details.. still, I need to thank the bunal eng wiki and its server for their dedication to make this experience more fun and understandable for a casual fan If not the game or most characters, but I really adore the world building of how this library is functioning and the world-travelling aspect of it! P.s.: Ango's bunal trivia page is hilarious af
Yeah I had a feeling that would be the case. I hope I conveyed that I was just judging the anime well enough in the video! Also I read Ango’s trivia. I didn’t think it could get more chaotic after building a 2 metre -- but it did lmao
I think what I dislike about BSD is how half-arsed the way they use the authors' names and books like shounen action techniques...like, the characters DONT have to have authors' names.. while the other blasphemies are kinda centered around Dazai and meant to be 100% sarcasm or parody. BSD seems to be 'I'm just using the authors names coz I dun wanna think' ...but that's just me I'm sure.
The thing is (I don’t blame you for thinking this, I also thought the same) bsd isn’t supposed to be a shounen anime, it’s supposed to be an anime that discusses more deeper topics but the anime doesn’t have that, the manga does. Bsd is based a little off of the author’s life but mainly off of the mc of the book that author wrote. Bsd Dazai clowns most of the time because he doesn’t openly show his non-humanness and whenever he does, people are either so used to it or put off by it. The book openly discusses his feelings and thoughts but his actions to other characters don’t show it. I personally don’t want to read the anime until I’ve read the books and searched up about the author to a decent extent and if the watcher doesn’t like that then that’s fine but it’s how (in my opinion, correct me if u think I’m wrong) the author intended bsd to be read, the manga is made for people who live off of stories, he’s outright said it. The anime heavily butchers the characters (in my opinion) so if you are an avid reader and have the time, I highly recommend reading the books and the manga since it gives more depth (I’m pretty sure) to the story, plus, it was originally written before made into an anime.
@@LokiNat-to4hmliterally the characters are more based on the characters from the irl authors books like yozo from no longer human or the mc of crime or punishment
I think there is a bit more nuance to BSD than you’re giving it credit for. Like these other commenters pointed out, a lot can be learned about each character by doing your research into each author and their works. E.g. we know basically nothing about Kunikida, but if you read his work ‘An Honest Man’ suddenly we have a whole backstory for him that fits perfectly. Which I believe only works because of the way Asagiri has set up these characters and the little details he includes in the story that make everything connect. Also, I hear this often not just from you, but BSD isn’t a shounen series? It’s Seinen.
In Asagiri's defense, there is the i-novel in Japanese literature (Shishōsetsu, Watakushi Shōsetsu) that is linked with Katai's Futon, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and Dazai's No Longer Human (there's many others but those are who is referenced in BSD). It's a bit semi-autobiographical and so not outright an autobiography. So even if BSD's characterization is based on characters in their work, there's merit to using the author's names for me.
I came running. After watching fully: After watching, honestly, this is the reason I initially hated BSD Dazai before coming to see him as more of an inspiration using the author's pen name than intending to be the actual author. HOWEVER! There is an error (if I'm remembering this correctly) in your video, in that Asagiri does claim that BSD Dazai is supposed to be the actual Dazai. Look at the end of the Dark Era novel. It's in the notes, and it pissed me off so much. I came to terms with Dazai as an inspiration for the author and an alternative source of comfort, especially since you can be far more creative with media revolving around the ideology portrayed by a fictional character, which would be unbelievably disrespectful if it depicted the actual author. I think there are certainly high benefits to having characters based on the author's ideologies, but it should be just that: inspiration. Using the author's pen name is horrible, but not the worst. I think what would be somewhat unforgivable is using the author's real name in the story, which is where I would truly draw the line.
Dazai from Bungou to Alchemist really be sitting on the corner and crying rn ngl
Nice to hear about BSD though! The misrepresentation is mostly a fandom thing, to be fair. Asagiri knows what's he's writing about and it 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 if you really go after it, especially in the light novels.
7:54 it’s hilarious that Ranpo some how beat the real dazai at how many times he was dazai, respect to Ranpo’s voice actor 😅
Nothing that claims to be based off a real person is actually based on them it's based on the stories about them, be it told by others or by themselves in the case of authors
BSD is a good example of this because it's based on real life info of their authors and their most known works, the main protagonist of no longer human was a jokester that's why in anime his eagerness to delete himself is presented as a joke.
Something this video is not mentioning is that the anime featuring Dazai are always what ifs about Dazai having a better support system that could have saved him.
BSD always goes along with his antics but when he makes a mildly serious comment about committing his friends always stop him.
I really like the isekai Dazai too because the author puts him in a scenario where he has to save people in a similar situation to him, creating a version of Dazai that feels closer to the real one than his No longer human character.
Side note but I love the special ending of BSD wan with Atsushi singing, it's beautiful.
You don't know how excited I got at seeing my boy Itoshiki Nozomu in the thumbnail in the year of 2025 (good video 👍)
Also fun fact he is based off Yozo (main character) from No Longer Human!
I’ve heard that it’s the author’s favourite book too, but I couldn’t find a source for it so I didn’t include it in the video!
... Oh my god, you're right, Itoshiki Nozomu is a reference to Dazai Osamu-
I never clocked it.
(Also, the authors portrayed in Gaiden asked to be there, so it's not that they're not bothered, they genuinely wanted it to happen.)
Oh I genuinely didn’t know they asked to be in it! That’s kind of funny.
@VIVIDLIE Yep, it really is fun. No alive author portrayed in BSD without their permission, promise.
Wait, it's all Dazai?
Always has been. (SHOOTS)
I find it both funny and sad that, in real life, Dazai hates Chuuya, but the BSD fandom ships them together.
they hate each other in the show too, but because they show even the slightest bit of trust in each other and are capable of working together, everyone just decided to ship them 😭
Technically, most have opposite relationships in stray dogs (Ranpo is a Poe fan, Dazai is a Akutagawa fan etc.)
But the ship dynamic is more enemy to lovers/ enemies& lovers
It's also kinda sad that even though they hated each other, an angry, turbulent Nakahara Chuuya died of Tuberculosis at 30 while Dazai survived.
What? Why?
@@nightwishisthegreatestband6355 because fans (not just for BSD) love the interaction rivals have with each other (ex. Zoro and Sanji from One Piece). They have constant arguments and fights, but they stop at certain times because they need to work together. And BSD made it clear at the beginning that they had a similar relationship.
But it would be really sad/messed up if people wanted the real ones (who have a bad relationship with harassment and bullying) to be a thing because of a manga/anime using their names. I doubt you would want your bully as your lover.
Also I feel like the characters are very loosely based on the real authors, I get the point but it is unfair to slack a thing that's not 100% committed to the point that people dislike it for. This isn't a commentary on the video btw!!! This is a good video. 2:50 is exactly my point hahah
sayonara zetsubo sensei is so underrated mannn, love it!!
Okay, I do agree that Sensei from Isekai Shikkaku is probably the most "offensive," but---this is mainly from being a manga reader---they actually kinda give that similar level of depth to him that Reincarnated Dazai has tbh. I think the story gets really good with how it's no longer a shitpost but, weirdly, a great drama that does respect its characters. Dazai still gets the suicide jokes, but he is also respected by the story, and there's more to him than that. The anime isn't there yet, so your insight makes sense. However, as a manga reader, he's my favorite Dazai for a good reason. That and this universe version of Tomie (Sacchan) is excellent. She isn't a villain like how the world made her after her death, but she isn't as slandered either. I could gush about this series if I could. But also hope reincarnated Dazai gets translated someday since your description intrigued me, and I heard a version of Tomie is in it. Also, I'm not caught up with the anime or manga of BSD; my issue is that it is more of the fandom doing weird stuff regarding Dazai and almost forgetting he's a representation of Dazai. Some of the jokes in the anime are eh, but I do think he's interesting from what I watched; it's just the Dazai fans for BSG, from what I see, are either actually chill or "insane," but that's just me. Excellent video, and yeah, I'd never be that interested in this kind of literature if it wasn't for those series.
Also tbh, I kinda got into IS because I also thought Dazai was very hot in this (I have a thing for black, small irises on anime characters) and that I thought this would be a good guilty pleasure. Just ended up becoming my favorite hyperfixation lol.
Ooo okay! I’ll definitely give the manga a shot then.
Sorry for the essay yapping TwT It's just nice to see the BunAl mention, and wanted to add some extra thoughts as a past player
BunAl is in a pretty niche corner, and you're right that the anime couldn't capture everything deep, it's due to being more of an introduction entry to the title. Most details are heavily related knowing the authors' past trivias or some of the ingame mechanics, like the time-manipulator gadget (they're used for skipping the waiting time for summoning,ect.) There's more focus on the historic connections BTS, the devs working together with the irl relatives and museums, and the possible interactions between all the authors in the game, even western authors.
There's also differences between the anime and game's universe like the Library being a bubble universe instead of run by the government (think of it as Touken Ranbu but with authors, same concept).
Taint feeds of on negative emotions towards literature, episode 3(?i need to rewatch) shows how it affects irl, if people feel discouraged to ever pick up a book or worse, forget about it, the past and its influences also disappear. The reason it's the authors summoned and diving into these books because their souls exist in these books. It's implied there might be a mastermind behind the taints, aka why the gov is involved, sending alchemists (aka you, the blue gem in anime's case) to summon the writers. Funfact: their main weapons are categorized in different genres (blade-pure lit., gun-poetry, ect.)
It's a bit mixed with my own interpretation, it is said that they are indeed the irl authors' souls, but there might be a bit outside influence with how they are fully manifested as, like Cat said in ep 1; 'You are Dazai, but not Dazai. Just a phantasm created by the image of Dazai.' It seems their overall...transfigurated identities for in-universe logic is based on how they are collectively or wanted to remembered as, that might have the result of some of these summoned writers feeling flat or fiction tropey (despite having the soul n memories of the irl writer), after all, no one can understand someone better than the person itself . From BTS, funny thing is, besides the added details associated with each writers, there was not much thought put into their hairstyles at all XD They really just gave Akutagawa the most luscious hair bcuz hahah pretty man (source: 2017 famitsu interview). Something that was cool that Dan (big knife guy) is the first who appeared outside the game before being added later (the crowd cheered when he was finally revealed, THEY TEASED THIS GUY'S APPEARANCE WAY TOO LONG-)
Back to anime, it is... not the best. The beginning was fine, but the end plot was uh weird in execution, the concept of the taint using an author's last moments' wish as image was interesting on paper, but it turned into uh out of characterish? 😅It goes beyond not just about Dazai but also other few connected to Akutagawa too, like Kume (it was something with his behavior iirc from old discussions, their relationship is way more layered than what is shown).
So tldr; even the anime is not the best handling some of the character connections to a deeper level.
Idk what else to add LMAO help, I'm not the most knowledgeable with the finer details and possible I still messed up some details.. still, I need to thank the bunal eng wiki and its server for their dedication to make this experience more fun and understandable for a casual fan If not the game or most characters, but I really adore the world building of how this library is functioning and the world-travelling aspect of it!
P.s.: Ango's bunal trivia page is hilarious af
Yeah I had a feeling that would be the case. I hope I conveyed that I was just judging the anime well enough in the video!
Also I read Ango’s trivia. I didn’t think it could get more chaotic after building a 2 metre -- but it did lmao
I love that this is finally being talked about as i rlly love bsd lmao
Sameeeee💜
Tbh I’m surprised that this is the first vid I’m seeing talking only abt this phenomenon I find it pretty interesting ngl
Thanks for such informative video ❤
STOP I WATXH THE LAST ONE 😭😭 I didn’t know it was supposed to be based on Dazai
Oh finally someone spoke abiut this thing 💗
Dazai
Dazai
Dazai
SZS MENTION??
I think what I dislike about BSD is how half-arsed the way they use the authors' names and books like shounen action techniques...like, the characters DONT have to have authors' names.. while the other blasphemies are kinda centered around Dazai and meant to be 100% sarcasm or parody. BSD seems to be 'I'm just using the authors names coz I dun wanna think' ...but that's just me I'm sure.
The thing is (I don’t blame you for thinking this, I also thought the same) bsd isn’t supposed to be a shounen anime, it’s supposed to be an anime that discusses more deeper topics but the anime doesn’t have that, the manga does. Bsd is based a little off of the author’s life but mainly off of the mc of the book that author wrote. Bsd Dazai clowns most of the time because he doesn’t openly show his non-humanness and whenever he does, people are either so used to it or put off by it. The book openly discusses his feelings and thoughts but his actions to other characters don’t show it. I personally don’t want to read the anime until I’ve read the books and searched up about the author to a decent extent and if the watcher doesn’t like that then that’s fine but it’s how (in my opinion, correct me if u think I’m wrong) the author intended bsd to be read, the manga is made for people who live off of stories, he’s outright said it. The anime heavily butchers the characters (in my opinion) so if you are an avid reader and have the time, I highly recommend reading the books and the manga since it gives more depth (I’m pretty sure) to the story, plus, it was originally written before made into an anime.
Yeah, the manga gives characters more depth but the Anime tones a lot of stuff down for BSD
@@LokiNat-to4hmliterally the characters are more based on the characters from the irl authors books like yozo from no longer human or the mc of crime or punishment
I think there is a bit more nuance to BSD than you’re giving it credit for. Like these other commenters pointed out, a lot can be learned about each character by doing your research into each author and their works. E.g. we know basically nothing about Kunikida, but if you read his work ‘An Honest Man’ suddenly we have a whole backstory for him that fits perfectly. Which I believe only works because of the way Asagiri has set up these characters and the little details he includes in the story that make everything connect.
Also, I hear this often not just from you, but BSD isn’t a shounen series? It’s Seinen.
In Asagiri's defense, there is the i-novel in Japanese literature (Shishōsetsu, Watakushi Shōsetsu) that is linked with Katai's Futon, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and Dazai's No Longer Human (there's many others but those are who is referenced in BSD). It's a bit semi-autobiographical and so not outright an autobiography. So even if BSD's characterization is based on characters in their work, there's merit to using the author's names for me.
I came running.
After watching fully:
After watching, honestly, this is the reason I initially hated BSD Dazai before coming to see him as more of an inspiration using the author's pen name than intending to be the actual author.
HOWEVER! There is an error (if I'm remembering this correctly) in your video, in that Asagiri does claim that BSD Dazai is supposed to be the actual Dazai. Look at the end of the Dark Era novel. It's in the notes, and it pissed me off so much.
I came to terms with Dazai as an inspiration for the author and an alternative source of comfort, especially since you can be far more creative with media revolving around the ideology portrayed by a fictional character, which would be unbelievably disrespectful if it depicted the actual author.
I think there are certainly high benefits to having characters based on the author's ideologies, but it should be just that: inspiration. Using the author's pen name is horrible, but not the worst. I think what would be somewhat unforgivable is using the author's real name in the story, which is where I would truly draw the line.