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#twittering birds never fly
noniedarkmeki · 2 days
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My babies 🫣🤍🤍
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https://x.com/bs_garden/status/1772551313890652558?s=46&t=SeKJqqSmmAxkqw5nj2YoDQ
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danmeibrainrot · 10 hours
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Doumeki is finally touching Yashiro's hair 😭🎉❤
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saezurusteve · 12 hours
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Hello! Happy Spring season 💓 When can we except chap 57 of Twittering bird.
As always thank you so so much for translating
Chapter 57 comes out on March 29th in Japan. Here’s some official teasers:
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Let’s hope the translation goes something like this: “unnn” “ah ahhhh aaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHhhhh” “Dou….mmmmph” “Let me blow you!” So hang on tight… I think we’re coming to a CLIFF!! 🫨
I edited out my joke on it being a 100 pages. That’s only my fantasy. Not a real thing. We once got 49 pages though. I would take that again!!
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ryan566t6 · 23 hours
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Color on.
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ilovesaezuru · 22 hours
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Starting to feel a little anxious....chapter 57 of Saezuru is on the way. I've missed Y and D.
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keiko-chan · 2 months
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Y: Is it good?
D: I don't know it's sweet and bitter... It tastes like you.
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mangajams · 7 months
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From: Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai
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cosmicjoke · 2 months
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Okay, chapter 56 of Saezuru!
First, I just want to give a huge thanks to @itwearsadress for providing such a quick and amazing translation for all of us!
So, this chapter was extremely, extremely interesting.
My main impression here is that, while there's definitely been a breakthrough of sorts between Yashiro and Doumeki, there's still a great deal of fear and uncertainty in both of them. The entire first half of this chapter was Yashiro trying, in vain, to avoid Doumeki's probing questions. To me, Yashiro came across as really terrified, and I think that terror was coming from the genuine belief that Doumeki was just messing with him, basically using his new found knowledge of Yashiro's impotency as a way to be unkind. Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't bother Yashiro, at least, not consciously, but he's in love with Doumeki. Really, really deeply in love. And we see what his perception that Doumeki is being intentionally cruel is doing to him. It's Yashiro's attempt to shield himself from that kind of hurt, the hurt of loving and not being loved in return, that's making him so resistant at first. I really, truly think Yashiro doesn't know that Doumeki loves him, at this point, and I think maybe he's never, truly known it. We have to remember, Yashiro's self-image is completely warped. He's believed all his life that he's not a person worthy of love, or even capable of being loved. His experience with Kage only served to reinforce that notion in his head.
I'll get more into this in a minute. But first, I want to talk about Doumeki's internal thoughts at the beginning, and what I think it means for the end of the chapter. Doumeki says to himself that he's been concealing his emotions to keep Yashiro from running away. Basically, we finally get a definitive answer explaining why Doumeki's been so cold to Yashiro. It's not so much that Doumeki is afraid of Yashiro's rejection, or that he's angry at Yashiro for that rejection, but more so that he just doesn't want to create a situation again in which Yashiro runs from him. He's trying to keep Yashiro at his side. At the end of the chapter, when Yashiro asks him what kind of sex this is that they're having, Doumeki very deliberately says that he's "a man without principles" and that he's just doing this to have sex. He's saying there's no emotion involved. That he's not "in love" with Yashiro and wanting to have sex with him because of it, but simply that he gets physical gratification from having sex with Yashiro, and that's it. I think Doumeki is saying here what he thinks Yashiro wants him to say, or what he wants to hear, because he thinks it's what will keep Yashiro around.
Basically, it seems to me that while there's some unspoken understanding between them, I think they're both still very much pretending here. Even if Doumeki suspects or knows that Yashiro cares for him, he still thinks Yashiro wants to pretend there's no emotion involved. That that's what's required to keep Yashiro with him.
The awful thing is, this is exactly the opposite of what Yashiro actually wants.
Yashiro's almost startled look after Doumeki says this, followed by a sort of sad resignation, makes me think that he believes it. Because when they first met, Yashiro plainly stated that anyone who developed feelings for him would be turned out. I think Yashiro looks sadly resigned here because he wants Doumeki to tell him he loves him again, he wants Doumeki to tell him he cares about him, but he doesn't, and Yashiro no doubt blames himself for that. I think Yashiro is, once again, resigning himself to the idea that whatever chance he had with Doumeki, he blew. He wants the Doumeki from before, who so openly expressed his love for him, but he seems to really believe that chance has passed him by. That he's ruined it. . He WANTS Doumeki to tell him he loves him, but if he can't and won't, he'll take the next best thing, which is just having Doumeki with him. So he just accepts it. He just accepts this idea that Doumeki has no feeling for him beyond the mutual, physical pleasure they share.
Now back to the first half of the chapter and what it tells us about Yashiro's state of mind.
Yashiro looks truly mortified for a moment when Doumeki shows him the memory card and asks him if he knows what's on it, before falling back into an apathetic attitude. That one panel where we get a close up of Yashiro's eyes shows us almost a moment of panic from him, and I think that comes from the sudden realization that Doumeki must now know he's impotent with everyone but him. I think this causes panic in Yashiro, again, because he desperately doesn't want to have to face Doumeki's rejection, and so he doesn't want Doumeki to know he has feelings for him. Doumeki discovering that Yashiro can't get it up with Inami, or anyone else, is tantamount to Doumeki discovering that Yashiro has feelings for him, which leaves Yashiro vulnerable to Doumeki's rejection. So we see Yashiro go into an extremely defensive mode at this point, pretending to brush it off, acting like he doesn't care if Doumeki watches it, acting like he's not ashamed or embarrassed. Yashiro's acting unbothered, but he's clearly freaking out inside. When Doumeki presses, saying "It seems that it's quite different with me", we again get a close up of Yashiro's eyes, showing a panicked, desperate expression, before he again tries to brush it off as just that "sort of play", trying to paint it as meaningless. Again, he's trying desperately to hide his feelings for Doumeki, to keep Doumeki from discovering those feelings. I think Yashiro's attempts at evasion here need to be understood through the lens of Yashiro's fear, and his belief that Doumeki doesn't care about him anymore. He thinks if Doumeki realizes Yashiro loves him, he'll either purposefully use it to hurt him, or just hurt him through rejection. So he keeps playing it off as no big deal.
But Doumeki keeps pressing, because he knows Yashiro is putting on an act here. He asks Yashiro why it is he's so satisfied with him, and again, Yashiro looks panicked. I think the following exchange is really important to understanding what's going on here with Yashiro specifically.
He knows he's trapped now. I think he knows Doumeki realizes that he can only get it up with him because he has feelings for him. We see again a resigned defeat in Yashiro's expression when Doumeki asks him if he remembers how many times he came. The important thing here is that, after answering that he doesn't, Doumeki says he doesn't either, and again, we see Yashiro's eyes up close, looking startled and hurt, and he slips again into pretending like none of it matters. Again, he becomes defensive, saying sarcastically that Doumeki is just being "mean" now. But Yashiro's expression here is very telling. He's smiling when he says the above line, but I think he means it. I think Yashiro's feelings are genuinely hurt. He thinks Doumeki is messing with him on purpose at this point. That he's rubbing it in, maybe to get back at Yashiro for how he treated him before the time skip. I think this exchange is, once again, reinforcing for Yashrio the belief that he's ruined any chance he might have had to be with Doumeki, and turned Doumeki against him, to the point that he thinks Doumeki wants to hurt him.
Doumeki meanwhile seems to be getting frustrated with Yashiro's continued evasion. We see his hands curling into fists when he asks Yashiro from what point it was he started to feel his body had chemistry with Doumeki's. He wants Yashiro to just confess that he has feelings for him, but Yashiro won't do it. I think, from Yashiro's perspective, he thinks Doumeki is just continuing to rub it in and is enjoying this, needling Yashiro, messing with him. Doumeki isn't, but again, this is from Yashiro's perspective. So we see Yashiro, again, get defensive, lashing out by asking Doumeki about his woman. Yashiro's hurt is obvious here. He's upset that Doumeki seems to be screwing with him, using his feelings against him, and so he lets his hurt over Doumeki's involvement with his woman come out. Again, it reeks of desperation on Yashiro's part. He's trying anything and everything to protect himself from the pain Doumeki's causing him, but he's only exposing himself further by doing so.
And Doumeki again calls him out on it, observing that it's unusual for Yashiro to show an interest in his personal life. Doumeki has Yashiro trapped again, basically telling him that he knows Yashiro is lying by acting like he doesn't care. Yashiro is on the back foot during this entire exchange. And again Yashiro gets incredibly defensive, this time standing up and trying to end the conversation. He knows he's got no way out of this now, no way to pretend any longer that he doesn't care, so he tries to escape it by fleeing. But Doumeki doesn't let him.
We once more see Yashiro lash out defensively, tearing away from Doumeki and telling him what he does in his life has nothing to do with him. His hurt again shows itself when he tells Doumeki that he's got no reason to "fuck" him anymore and that he should just go do it with his woman. Again, I think this exchange is super important. Yashiro is showing once more that he genuinely still thinks Doumeki doesn't care for him. His jealousy over Doumeki's woman is his despair over losing Doumeki coming out. We see once more Yashiro's resigned expression when Doumeki tells him that just like it's not his business who Yashiro has sex with, it's not Yashiro's business either who Doumeki has sex with. Yashiro's resigned expression here tells me again that he thinks he's lost Doumeki. I think Yashiro is operating during this entire exchange with the belief that Doumeki is just there to torment him. That's backed up by Yashiro's next words, when he asks Doumeki what it is he came there to do, and then accuses him of being there just to confirm that Yashiro can't get it up with anyone else and "take pity" on him. Yashiro's expression becomes one of apathy again as he says this. It's clear he's trying to shield himself. He thinks Doumeki is trying to hurt him.
But Doumeki of course isn't trying to hurt Yashiro, he's trying to get him to admit his feelings, and he just keeps pressing, because he knows he has Yashiro trapped.
One more really important exchange happens here, I think, when Doumeki presses Yashiro about how sex doesn't feel good to him with anyone else but him. Yashiro says "So what if that's true? You... You were only doing this to satisfy my sexual urges. What benefit is there to you?"
Doumeki's expression is startled here when Yashiro says this, and then in the next panel, it becomes soft, even sad. I think Doumeki realizes in that moment that Yashiro really believes that Doumeki never had any, real feelings for him, and that he only ever wanted to have sex with him for Yashiro's benefit, not because he was genuinely attracted to or in love with him. I think Yashiro's words here break Doumeki's heart, because of how truly sad that is.
And I think that sadness in Doumeki is compounded by his own belief that he can't just tell Yashiro he loves him. He says, in response, "The body chemistry is mutual". It's the best he can do without actually saying he loves Yashiro, because he still thinks, if he says that, Yashiro will run away. He doesn't realize how much Yashiro WANTS to hear Doumeki say it. Like I said, they're both still pretending here, because they both are still operating under false beliefs about the other. Yashiro under the belief that Doumeki doesn't love him and never has, and Doumeki under the belief that Yashiro will again run away if he confesses his feelings.
And then comes the big moment that everyone keeps talking about, which is an indirect confession from Yashiro of his feelings for Doumeki, when Doumeki says in reply to Yashiro's accusation that Doumeki has said some cruel things to him, "You liked cruel things, didn't you?"
I think Yashiro's expressions here are vital to understanding this exchange too.
Again, Yashiro, for a moment before his answer, looks stricken. The thing is, Yashiro DOESN'T like cruel things. He wants Doumeki, and he wants the Doumeki of before, the one who was so kind toward him. But he can't ask for that, because he still thinks Doumeki doesn't care about him, and he can't leave himself open to the kind of pain he'll experience with the rejection of his feelings. The next panel shows Yashiro with what I would call a resigned smile on his face as he says "I do". I think this is Yashiro saying he likes cruel things still, because he thinks it's the only way he'll get Doumeki now. This new version of Doumeki that doesn't love him, but is willing to have sex with him. It is an indirect confession on Yashiro's part, but it's once again predicated on Yashiro laboring under the belief that Doumeki doesn't love him.
It's really kind of a catch-22 between them, because Doumeki doesn't think he can say he loves Yashiro without driving him away, even as it seems he knows Yashiro cares for him, and Yashiro wants Doumeki to say he loves him, but can't bring himself to ask for it because he thinks Doumeki doesn't love him.
Basically, it's still a mess between them, even as we see a kind of acceptance happen at last in this chapter.
I think people tend to forget that Saezuru is, by and large, a tragedy, and there's a definite air of tragedy to this chapter. A lot of the expressions between Yashiro and Doumeki strike me as heartbreaking, resigned, sad, fearful, etc... I think that kind of encapsulates the general feeling of this chapter. It's definite progress, but it's progress that's still greatly hampered by misunderstanding.
Another amazing and nuanced chapter from Yoneda. I'm extremely eager to see what comes with chapter 57. I'm happy we'll be getting the next chapter at the end of March!
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twitteringthings · 2 months
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As soon as I saw this scene I was like “-oop, D HIT. THAT. SPOT.” XD
Yashiro is so lost in ecstasy while Doumeki’s like “I told you *thrust* that I want *thrust* your body *thrust* to crave only ME!” *THRUST*
He’s so focused too LMAO, rawr.
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cielelyse · 2 months
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Favourite 5 Saezuru Scenes
I recently reread Saezuru for the umpteenth time and just needed to gush about it like a crazed person who constantly hallucinates about Yashiro being happy and soOooOOooo.................
1. Why now? (Chapter 25)
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These 3 panels kill me always... although it's the entire chapter 25 actually, and not just these panels. This broke me when I first read it nearly a decade ago, and it breaks me every time I reread it. I recently just listened to the drama CD for the first time and wanted to hear how this scene played out (a.k.a. wanted to hear Yashiro moan wkegh;ghwle) and I did not expect to start bawling and sobbing uncontrollably when his flashback appeared. WITH THE MUSIC AND EVERYTHING. THEY DID NOT SPARE ME. FUCK. What was supposed to be a tender and gentle and loving and intimate scene between them turned into Yashiro facing the effects of his childhood trauma -- that will never cease to hurt me. Doumeki saying "kashira, kashira, kirei" right before that broke me in a way reading that scene in English couldn't. I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS and if I keep writing about it I'm gonna cry again so:
2. Car ride back from Kageyama's clinic (Chapter 4)
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This is mostly for nostalgic reasons, really. I first read Saezuru in 2013, and I wasn't used to Yashiro at first. I didn't know what to make of him.
So what happened was that I read "Don't Stay Gold" first and was like... there's a manga about this mildly threatening and unreadable yakuza dude who's Kage's friend…? Who played cupid for him in a weird way? HMMMMM dubious, dubious. Would I even like him? It took me a while, but I finally gave Saezuru a shot anyway, and I remember feeling uncertain about Yashiro up until those panels. I remember it so starkly, because this was the instant I fell in love with him. I think it was because this was the first time I understood the depth of his loneliness (since I hadn't read his high school oneshot yet at this point).
There's just something about how Yoneda Kou-sensei draws these kinds of pages that just resonates with me so well. I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE IT. It just connects with me the way Yashiro connects with me, and that was pretty much it for me. Obsession sealed. Life signed away. For the next 10 years I would follow the story closely and routinely check every few months for updates. Yashiro became one of my only 3 comfort characters, and rereading Saezuru always gives me a catharsis and sense of peace that I didn't know how to find elsewhere.
3. "To go on living this strained existence... no longer holds any meaning to me." (Chapter 34)
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This scene is one that I come back to every time I'm down. AM I A MASOCHIST? I really like the June translation too: "To go on living this strained existence no longer holds any meaning to me." I think the way the panels divided up those thoughts were brilliant!
This especially hurt me because for the entire manga up to this point, Yashiro has stated that he completely accepts himself and he's happy with who he is. It wasn't until his realization during the sex scene with Doumeki and how much he's said/done hurtful things to Doumeki afterwards -- who he considers pure and sweet and good -- that he thinks this.
4. "Falling in love feels like this" (Chapter 33)
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The first time I read this, I had to set my PC down, go out to my apartment balcony, and just silently stare out into the night and resist the urge to smoke (that was half a joke) (I did feel a pang in my chest though) (and I did have to fight very hard not to smoke lwkehg;hge). I love the dialogue right after these panels too, when Yashiro said, "Your sister was lucky that you were there." That, along with Doumeki's reaction, hurt.
This was such an intimate scene between them. Yashiro was so vulnerable. So was Doumeki. I hadn't realized this until I reread Saezuru this year, but these two have always had such intimate scenes right from the start. It was a slow burn, yes, but they had always been instantly drawn to each other: Doumeki thinking Yashiro was beautiful and captivating, and Yashiro doing something he doesn't normally do with his subordinates the first time he met Doumeki. And it didn't clue in for me back in 2013, but their conversations with each other were much more intimate than the conversations they'd have with anyone else, right from chapter 1. I find that so precious.
5. Dream (Chapter 40)
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I couldn't not include a scene from post-timeskip, BECAUSE I LOVE POST-TIMESKIP. I love Darkmeki and I love Yashiro and I love that the theme of post-timeskip centers around "change". Wish I could include that conversation Yashiro had with Tsunakawa about it, because I thought that drive-home was brilliant. I really appreciate that Yoneda Kou didn't have Yashiro and Doumeki get together right away after they have sex, and I really appreciate that the question was raised of: Do people change? Can people change on their own, or would you have to force them? Or are we always the same at our core? And I think the answer is of course a mixture of all of it, and that it's very much circumstantial and subjective, but I love how we're able to see the shifts in both Yashiro and Doumeki. How both men aren't quite the same people we knew pre-timeskip. Ten years ago I didn't think I would meet a version of Yashiro that wouldn't talk about sex 24/7, but here we are.
(Not to say that they're completely different now. They're still our Yashiro and Doumeki of course; I just wanted to gush about how well Yoneda Kou were able to flesh out her characters in such a complex, multidimensional way.)
ANYWAYS, I went on a rant without even mentioning these panels of Yashiro's dream. I love everything about it: Doumeki's face not showing, Yashiro running away and turning back to see Doumeki not there anymore, and that last panel of him standing in the middle of nowhere, lost and empty and lonely -- all of that was so incredibly told in pages of no words. UGH YONEDA KOU IS A GENIUS. It reminds me of that page of Yashiro looking at a mother and child in the rain; it's one of my favourite scenes too.
Honourary Mention (Chapter 4):
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I should end with a more light-hearted one. THIS WAS CUTEEEE. I remember reading this for the first time and thinking Yashiro was just salty that his roleplay got ruined. But upon second reread (and maybe I'm delusional here), I thought he might've been happy to hear Doumeki say that.
We know Yashiro gets angry and irritated whenever he's happy to hear something sweet from Doumeki (like that extra when they ate together LOL), and that he had the same reaction of kicking the chair when Doumeki said he can't touch Yashiro's hair anymore. Which was cute to say. So I thought Yashiro might've lashed out in annoyance because he was glad that Doumeki doesn't mind. (I tried putting myself in Yashiro's shoes so many times trying to imagine how I would feel if Doumeki had said this............. and somehow came up with "happy" xD)
...........or maybe this was obvious to everyone and I've just been clueless. AAAAAAAA THIS IS WHY I LOVE ABOUT SAEZURU SO MUCH. It never spoon-feeds you information and lets its readers interpret :")
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benveydraws · 8 months
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noniedarkmeki · 13 hours
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What a time to be alive ❤️‍🔥!!
Happy Saezuru Day everyone 🤍~
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https://x.com/saezuru_comic/status/1773183479393685621?s=61&t=gn7AY_Hehwv5z_C3Jq_XHg
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danmeibrainrot · 2 days
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Seeing Yashiro look so soft is just😭😭❤
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breakingsomegregs · 11 months
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married before even kiss
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ilovesaezuru · 2 months
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Thinking back to how Saezuru began, and following the narrative thread until the last chapter, I have the feeling that the ending of Saezuru will be very similar to its beginning, with the two protagonists separated from the world around them. The path and all the changes undergone seem to lead to an exchange of roles between Y and D. Y seems to distance himself from the Yakuza over time, D, on the contrary, feels very at ease. Saezuru is a healing journey that aims to rediscover oneself through love. Every step forward brings us closer to the origin, to the true identity of the protagonists. Unlike D who deliberately chooses to be part of the Yakuza world, Y has always felt trapped in this world. So, I wonder, will it be possible to see them together in the end? It's hard for me to imagine an ending that isn't a goodbye. Maybe I'm to pessimistic.
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eidolon-azii · 6 months
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Yakuza Shit: Corrected, v. 2.0
Update: I've gone through and corrected the various "K-groups" based on information provided by @itwearsadress. And I'm timestamping in case I need to make other big corrections. This version was updated on 10/7/23 at 1:15pm EST. Finally, I tried to edit for more clarity, but this meta's so long and boring that it's hard to write engagingly.
Fandom, if you're like me, you're trying to figure out what the fuck is going on with all the yakuza shit in the background of Saezuru. Or maybe you're not and I'm the only idiot who doesn't know what the fuck is going on. Anyway, because I have no idea what's going on, I decided to try and pull together what we know of all the yakuza shit, starting in the first arc. I'll organize it roughly chronologically, but that doesn't mean the information can be found in chapter order. Let me know if I miss something important to the story's unfolding, but do understand that I'll miss little stuff here and there because there's no way to get everything into one meta. Please be a bit discerning: I only care if I miss important stuff. Other smaller mistakes don't bother me because they'll be such a pain to correct in a meta this long.
We see the story from Yashiro's perspective so I'll probably spend most of my time on him, but I'm not necessarily interested in Yashiro's relationship to the yakuza. Mostly, I'm trying to figure out who's mad at who and why and how our boys are implicated in all the various conflicts.
This is very long and very boring - it's basically a summary of the yakuza subplots. Read at your own risk. For those of you interested in Kai, I don't get to him until the very end and even then I only have guesses. I make guesses throughout; I'll signal when I'm guessing by saying "I'm guessing" or "probably" or similar language. Note that I might be wrong about any or all of this. This yakuza shit is more complicated than Plato.
Prequel: Hirata's Onboarding
Way back in the past, when there were even more cockroaches roaming about, Hirata got picked up by Misumi from another subgroup of Doushinkai run by a man named Someya-san. Misumi had a rivalry with this Someya-san, presumably since Misumi was tapped to be young leader. During this era, Misumi gets shot in the midst of some beef with a group called the Ginyuukai. And while Misumi is laid up with his injury, Hirata kills Kurobane under the pretense of getting revenge for Misumi getting shot.
Era One: Yashiro's Slut Period or "Golden Age" (if you ask Yashiro)
Yashiro's first contact with the yakuza is with the Matsubaragumi, where he spends his time being passed around by Ryuuzaki and the boys. At that time, Misumi was head of Shinseikai. He saw Yashiro with the Matsubaragumi and "recruited" him.
In "Though They Drift," we get the impression that Yashiro fucks with the Matsubara boys because he wants them to rough him up. But I don't know exactly how he got involved with them in the first place, only that he'd been hanging around them for a few months before meeting Misumi. We get a sense that he started fucking thugs who eventually introduced him to other thugs who eventually introduced him to still other thugs who were involved with the Matsubaragumi. Yashiro's never met a chinpira he didn't want to fuck, after all.
Era Two: Yashiro's Onboarding with Doushinkai/Shinseikai
Misumi brought Yashiro aboard Shinseikai after seeing him with the Matsubara guys. In ch. 9, Misumi asks if there's anything serious between Yashiro and the Matsubaragumi, but Yashiro says, "I've just been fucking with them at their hangouts for about six months." Yashiro's not obligated to the Matsubaragumi; he hasn't exchanged cups with anyone. Misumi basically picks up the Matsubaragumi's boytoy sex pet and brings him to Shinseikai. He eventually sets Yashiro up to work under Hirata who is wakagashira, but still no one's exchanged cups, so this is an unofficial arrangement.
We know what happens next. Yashiro gets involved with one of Hirata's men. Hirata finds out and kicks the other guy out of Shinseikai. But according to Misumi, Yashiro belongs to Misumi and owes Misumi money, so Yashiro stays working for Shinseikai under Hirata. After the whole Kage Clinic drama, Yashiro exchanges cups with Misumi and becomes an official member of Shinseikai. Then Misumi leaves Shinseikai to become head of Doushinkai, putting Hirata in charge of Shinseikai. Yashiro is promoted to wakagashira on Misumi's orders. In fact, Hirata was made leader on the condition that Yashiro was made wakagashira (ch. 17).
This is around the time Nanahara joins up too (ch. 19). Nana's been hanging around and serving as a "bodyguard" at a hostess club maybe? In any case, Sakamaki gets him implicated in Hirata's business by stealing from Hirata and setting Nanahara up to take the fall. Yashiro rescues him, adopts him as part of Shinseikai, and they live happily ever after.
Era Three: Misumi Ascendant
The main narrative opens with Yashiro as wakagashira of Shinseikai. I love everything about Yakuza Boss Yashiro. He's a petty, abusive asshole and I love his characterization even though I'd never want to be around in him IRL. He wears authority so well. Look at him:
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Because I am so invested in his trauma and healing, I sometimes forget how terrifying he is. Remember when he made that one guy pee his pants? Yashiro is not to be fucked with.
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Anyway, on to the yakuza shit. We know that there's enough tension between Yashiro and Hirata that even those in other groups recognize it. When Hirata makes Yashiro come to Matsubara HQ to celebrate their guys getting released from prison, you can see two goons talking about Hirata and Yashiro and saying there's tension between them (ch. 3). We also learn that Yashiro doesn't come to the main group HQ very much but that he's rolling in cash.
On their way back, Nahahara says to Yashiro that they're ready to fuck up the Matsubaragumi (because of Ryuuzaki's jabs at Yashiro). Yashiro's not interested in enforcing the hierarchy. He recognizes that Ryuuzaki's problem with him is personal and that it doesn't have to do with their respective organizations. In any case, Nanahara acts on his own, gets into a fight with some Matsubara thugs, and the next thing you know, Ryuuzaki's in Yashiro's office asking for an apology and spreading Yashiro open over his own desk.
As ever, Yashiro has the upper hand even when he's about to be fucked within an inch of his life: He tells Ryuuzaki about the exorbitant Matsubara bill at one of Shinseikai's hostess clubs and insists Ryuuzaki pay. Yashiro outranks Ryuuzaki, so this can't leave a good taste in Ryuuzaki's mouth. And then we know Yashiro drops the bomb about knowing the Matsubaragumi are involved in drug trafficking, which is a no-no for old school yakuza. And something Misumi wouldn't take kindly to. But Yashiro only gives a friendly warning to Ryuuzaki that the Shinjuku Police and the Gang Unit are watching Ryuuzaki, so he should change locations ever so often. Yashiro also recognizes that Mastubara isn't well-resourced enough to get drugs. I've always felt like Yashiro already knew about Hirata as early as this. He says in ch. 12 he was "spot on" after some Matsubara goons confirm they can't tell him where they got the drugs, meaning they'd be killed if they spill the beans.
We know what happens when Ryuuzaki hires a hitman to shoot Yashiro, so I won't be repeating all that. You can read the appropriate Saezuru Study Notes. This post is about bigger yakuza moves and what the groups are doing.
While Yashiro is in the hospital (the first time), Hirata claims the Goudagumi still have it out for Yashiro because Yashiro got the better of them on some construction rights.
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At the time, the Goudagumi are still part of Sanwakai. Hirata blames Ryuuzaki, but we know Hirata is trying to double-cross Doushinkai himself. We should note that Ryuuzaki and Matsubara seem to have money problems (maybe) and this might be another reason Ryuuzaki teams up with Hirata against Yashiro, apart from Ryuuzaki not liking how Yashiro outranks him and is pretty much out of his reach now.
The Goudagumi are sloppy, it seems. They're the ones who brought in drugs through a Korean connection. The leaders of the group were tricked into an information exchange and a few were taken in by the police. Meanwhile, the drugs they brought into Japan are still with the Goudagumi and Hirata taps Ryuuzaki to start distributing them in Shinjuku.
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At this point, Hirata apparently thinks Misumi will appoint him to Doushinkai. Hirata even promises Ryuuzaki half of Shinseikai's turf and swears to put him in charge of the reorganized merger between Shinseikai and Matsubara if Ryuuzaki does this drug deal with the Goudagumi. It seems like Hirata is playing Ryuuzaki, because after this conversation he says, "I guess even idiots have their use." So Hirata brokers a deal to distribute drugs brought in by the Goudagumi and does it in a way that his own hands (and those of Shinseikai) never touch the drugs. If the shit hits the fan, it'll be Ryuuzaki and the Matsubaragumi who take the fall. And of course Doushinkai might have problems since Matsubara is a subgroup of Doushinkai.
Hirata only learns that Misumi wants promote Yashiro after brokering the deal between Mastubara and Gouda. My guess is learning that Misumi doesn't want Hirata to be his second-in-command makes Hirata solidify his plan to betray Misumi. Hirata starts by setting Matsubara and Yashiro against one another and feeding monetary profits and Shinseikai members to the Goudagumi. At one point, the "cleaners" Hirata hired say Nanahara would make a "cheap gift" to Goudagumi but that the drug money Ryuuzaki funnels to Hirata will be enough for the Goudagumi to buy their way up from a being a branch group of Sanwakai to being a subgroup in the direct line. So there's a quid pro quo: Hirata gets rid of Yashiro, Ryuuzaki's the only one who's touched the drugs, his contact with the Goudagumi gets money to buy a stronger position at Sanwakai, and Hirata gets to come along for the ride.
This plan works because the Goudagumi are still a little salty with Yashiro and are happy to get drug profits from Hirata. Hirata tries to have Yashiro killed and attempts to buy his way into the Sanwakai while also helping the Goudagumi buy their way into the direct line of Sanwakai. This will make the head of Gouda (Nakamoto) wakagashira of Sanwakai, and since Hirata is sworn brothers with Nakamoto, even Doushinkai won't mess with him after the betrayal. Because he'd already exchanged cups with the Goudagumi chief, Hirata would have found himself at a fairly high position in Sanwakai had everything gone to plan.
As an additional bonus, Misumi and Doushinkai would be tossed in a succession uproar, because Hirata implicated Doushinkai in drug trafficking (via the Matsubaragumi). These old school yakuza families typically frown on drug trafficking. So if Hirata's plan had succeeded, he'd have taken out Ryuuzaki, Yashiro, and Misumi (or at least made it so Misumi couldn't become leader).
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There's an important detail in a throwaway conversation that happens while Best Boy Nanahara is being kidnapped. Apparently the leader of Sanwakai and the leader of Doushinkai exchanged cups as equals. This has ramifications for what's happening in the current arc, so it's important to note.
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In this scene Misumi also learns that Hirata has a personal connection with the leader of the Goudagumi, who, as you recall, was set to become second-in-commend at Sanwakai if Hirata's plan succeeded. This lets Misumi know that Hirata plans to ingratiate himself at Sanwakai and switch sides. And Misumi can't touch him, because if he does, then he'll cause problems between Doushinkai and Sanwakai. The two chairmen exchanged cups, so any problems between these big umbrella groups would lead to an all-out yakuza war on the streets.
It later emerges that Hirata doesn't plan on joining the Goudagumi. You can see it in Hirata's conversation with Nakamoto. He thinks to himself that he only thought about getting involved because of Sanwakai's reputation. Sanwakai is Hirata's real aim.
When Yashiro gets Ryuuzaki arrested for the drugs later on, he says to Ryuuzaki, "Do this favor for me. I don't want anyone to know the main family was involved with drugs." This is Yashiro protecting Misumi by making Ryuuzaki take full blame for the drug trafficking with the Goudagumi. It also means that Doushinkai retains their good relationship with Sanwakai, assuming that Sanwakai knows nothing about the drugs. Or assuming that Sanwakai will overlook the misbehavior of a Doushinkai subgroup. The whole thing will stay at the level of Matsubara and Gouda if Ryuuzaki does this favor for Yashiro. Ryuuzaki agrees because he's a real one.
Misumi's succession comes into question precisely as Hirata predicted. The executives claim Shinseikai is involved in the drug trade and that could be a problem for Misumi since Misumi's responsible for Shinseikai. Yanagi - another executive - may be planning to use Shinseikai against Misumi to challenge his succession.
During this drama over succession and beef with the Goudagumi, Amou asks Tsunakawa not to take on Hirata. In fact, by convincing Tsunakawa not to take on Hirata, Amou is basically condemning Hirata to die. Amou is the secret power player in all this and you can't convince me otherwise. Tsunakawa calls the head of the Goudagumi, Nakamoto, and orders him to cut ties with Hirata. Hirata learns that both he and Nakamoto are fucked because Tsunakawa's an advisor to the Sanwakai chief and Tsunakawa is opposed to the Goudagumi getting involved in Doushinkai's internal affairs anyway. Hirata further learns that Tsunakawa and Misumi are golf buddies and Tsunakawa and Amou are friends. So Hirata realizes he's pretty fucked all-around. His bid to get into Sanwakai is foiled by Amou and Tsunakawa, both acting on behalf of their chiefs.
In response, Hirata has Nakamoto and two Gouda executives killed and pins the execution on Yashiro and Shinseikai. Basically Hirata tries to start a large-scale war between Sanwakai and Doushinkai by implicating Yashiro (wakagashira of Shinseikai) in a hit on executives from a branch family of Sanwakai. Hirata goes to Yanagi on the Doushinkai executive board in hopes of joining forces and pushing Misumi out.
Yashiro, being Yashiro, decides to handle everything himself, keeping it within Shinseikai and not getting Misumi involved. He sends Misumi a bunch of money (presumably to help strengthen his position for the succession bid). Misumi's not having it. He personally intervenes with Tsunakawa and pledges to handle Hirata as recompense for the Goudagumi guys getting hit.
Back at Sanwakai, the chief's gathered with Tsunakawa and they're expecting Misumi to explain why the fuck they got all this drama if leaders of Sanwakai and Doushinkai have exchanged cups as equals. Amou, not Misumi, shows up to explain everything to the Sanwakai head and the only reason he's able to do so is because Tsunakawa asked the Sanwakai leader to entertain him. Amou is underpaid AF, because no yakuza leader is going to be happy to see an aide when he expected to see another leader. Misumi really ought to give him a raise. But Amou calmly explains the larger situation: Misumi isn't there to account for his subordinates' actions because Doushinkai's chief just died.
To his credit, Misumi cleans up the whole mess and repairs relations with the Sanwakai: He lets the Goudagumi remnants take out Hirata's goons and he promises to kill Hirata. He assures the Sanwakai that Yashiro's been banished and that Hirata's body would be displayed visibly so everyone knows what happens when you try to play both sides. He keeps Yanagi alive though, probably because he knows he's made an example of what happens to traitors.
Era Four: Doumeki's Onboarding with Sakuraikka
We emerge from the timeskip with Doumeki working for Tsunakawa. We know from a flashback that Amou brought him to Tsunakawa and asked Tsunakawa to take him on as a personal favor and not as a favor to Doushinkai. We also know Doumeki was brought to the Sakuraikka after Misumi rejected him at least twice. Tsunakawa takes him on reluctantly, particularly after he learns that it's a personal favor to Amou and not something he can use to extract a favor from Doushinkai later. I like to think Niki's immediate liking of Doumeki had a tiny influence on Tsunakawa. She really grabbed Doumeki's hand and said, "You can stay here." I love their relationship so much.
Tsunakawa has doubts about Doumeki in the current arc, even though he recognizes Doumeki is an asset to the group. In ch. 37 he asks Muraji to do some digging because he suspects Doumeki was affiliated with Shinseikai (though they've disbanded). After all, Amou never really explained the circumstances by which Doumeki left Shinseikai and Tsunakawa's concerned because he likes Doumeki enough to want to keep him and wants him to be loyal to Tsunakawa and Sakuraikka (ch. 36-37). He tells Muraji to keep him informed if anything happens (this sweet summer child has never understood Hurricane Yashiro, who's basically an agent of chaos simply by existing and being catnip for straight guys).
We also get some history on Tsunakawa and the Sakuraikka. We know that Okuyama was supposed to be head of the Sakuraikka because Tsunakawa's father didn't want Niki to be raised by a yakuza. But Tsunakawa successfully lobbied his father to change his mind and keep the group leadership in the family; Tsunakawa is the 5th generation head of the Sakuraikka. He had an uphill climb. They weren't flush with money, they had a difficult succession fight, some members left. Okuyama took a contingent of members and started his own group, the Okuyamagumi who are a affiliated with the Kyokuseikai - a group that also has ties to Doushinkai (which I'll talk about later). Tsunakawa says that he worked his ass off to strengthen the Sakuraikka, and the plays he made to strengthen their position made him lots of enemies. One group of enemies, the Kyouseikai, broke a yakuza code and kidnapped Niki. Doumeki goes in to rescue Niki, leaves five guys in the hospital, including the group leader. Once that man got out of the hospital, he was executed and buried in the mountains by Tsunakawa and the Sakuraikka (ch. 37). The Kyouseikai disbanded, but former members are not part of a non-yakuza group called the Ryuuzu.
Era Five: Sakuraikka takes Center Stage, with a side of Yashiro the Unaffiliated Casino Owner and Misumi the Shadow King
The new arc opens with Yashiro holding that stupid bird as collateral for money Kido borrowed from him. At this point, we know Kido is a former member of Matsubara and he's been out for over a decade, presumably before the group was disbanded after the Hirata drama. Still, we know he keeps in touch with his old mates because Ryuuzaki knows where to find him and tells Yashiro. Yashiro says Kido is "influential in that world" (ch. 35). I don't read Japanese, but I took that to mean the underworld in general. It seems Kido, despite looking like a pathetic worm, might actually have some clout. Still, he owes Yashiro enough money that Yashiro decides it's time to collect it. Or at least this is the pretense he uses to start investigating Kido, likely on Misumi's orders.
Kido's running with a guy named Yamakawa, who operates a few casinos and clubs in Roppongi. Kido's apparently frequenting Yamakawa's casinos and he likely owes Yamakawa money (ch. 38). Meanwhile, Yamakawa himself owes money to the Sakuraikka (ch. 38). Muraji asks Masa and Shinji to go and collect it (ch. 38-39). We know what happens: Yamakawa and Kido try to drive away from Masa and Shinji and they end up hitting Shinji with their car. Shinji's in the hospital with serious injuries. And Yamakawa and Kido are fucked because they injured a member of the Sakuraikka. The Sakuraikka leadership don't yet know if the two fugitives are in hiding, but this sets in motion Doumeki and Kamiya's search for Yamakawa. Kamiya volunteers them for this job, claiming that Doumeki is good at finding things.
Yashiro, being Yashiro, already knows something's about to go down.
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Inami is the one calling Yashiro here. And for once, he has some useful information: The cops have the license plate for the car involved in the hit-and-run and the victim is a member of Sakuraikka (ch. 38). There's something of critical importance in this conversation: Kido is already on Yashiro's radar. In ch. 38, when Yashiro talks to Inami, the latter says, "That guy you mentioned before is the culprit." So in ch. 38, before Yashiro gets involved in all this shit, he's already asked Inami for information on Kido and now he knows Kido's involved in this hit-and-run on a Sakuraikka member. He was already investigating Kido before the hit-and-run, either to collect debt or because Misumi asks him to look into the Ryuuzu and Okuyamagumi.
So Yashiro goes to talk to Ryuuzaki in prison to ask for information on Kido's whereabouts. He knows there'll be trouble because Kido owes money to him and the Sakuraikka are also after him. Yashiro says to Ryuuzaki that he's a "half-civilian," suggesting that he's partly involved with yakuza shit, meaning he's probably making moves for Misumi (ch. 38). Ryuuzaki sends Yashiro and Nanahara to the pet store. The pet shop owner provided the bird as collateral on a loan to Kido but he really smuggles rare animals (ch. 39).
And now, we interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you Yashiro being violent and hot.
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Meanwhile, Yamakawa's been found going into his own house (ch. 39). Doumeki and Kamiya interrogate him, learning that he'd gotten involved with Kido because Kido found out he owed a lot of money. Kido lures people in when they're in debt and promises a big payoff, according to Yamakawa (ch. 39). But then, Kido brought Yamakawa to "his friends," who stripped Yamakawa of his belongings and the money and promissory notes he had with him. They dropped him off in front of his own house (ch. 39). Yamakawa tells Kamiya and Doumeki that Kido moonlights as a broker for rare or unusual things (like rare pets). Hence, Doumeki and Kamiya go to the pet store that Yashiro and Nana just left.
The pet shop owner tells Doumeki and Kamiya that two yakuza-like guys just left, one of whom owns a casino in Shibuya. Doumeki realizes immediately that Yashiro's involved (ch. 39). To double-check he calls Chestnut and confirms that Yashiro's underground casino is in Shibuya. We know that Doumeki's been using Chestnut for information for four years, and that he told Chestnut he's trying to get revenge on Yashiro for ditching him (ch. 40). Doumeki will lie like a motherfucker to get what he wants and we don't really think of him as deceitful, so it's fun to see this. But we also learn something else about Doumeki: He has his own sources of information. The old pet store guy tells Doumeki and Kamiya where to find Kido, but it's Doumeki who says, "Kido's circle is not that wide" (ch. 40). How does he know this? Did he get this from Muraji? Chestnut? Elsewhere?
Meanwhile Kamiya sneaks off to tell Tsunakawa how he suspects Doumeki's old group members are on the same trail after Kido (ch. 40). Doumeki never confirms this but Kamiya has a hunch anyway. We see flashbacks where Tsunakawa asked Kamiya to keep an eye on Doumeki because Tsunakawa "likes [Doumeki] enough to be cautious around him" (ch. 40). This makes sense: If you didn't like someone, you wouldn't give a shit how loyal they are.
Both duos are now on the same trail - trying to find Kido through his brother Kousuke. Enter this iconic panel when they run into one another:
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Kido's brother tells them Kido has some "scary guys backing him up" (ch. 41).
Over the phone, Tsunakawa asks Kamiya to bring Yashiro and Nana to his place because he'd like to meet the former wakagashira of Shinseikai and Misumi's favorite child as well as Doumeki's former boss. We also learn that Yashiro is likely channeling some of that mountain of money he's made to Doushinkai (ch. 41). What a dutiful son; it's easy to see why Misumi likes him so much.
Red herring alert: The walls at Tsunakawa's place are very high. "They must be afraid of something," Yashiro says (ch. 42). This might be because of Niki being kidnapped or it might be foreshadowing. We know the Sakuraikka are reputable because Tsunakawa basically clawed his way up after the succession fight ended in Okuyama and his cronies leaving the group. Tsunakawa says himself he made a lot of enemies. The upshot of all this is that Doumeki is not safe working for Tsunakawa.
I'll skip Yashiro's mean little tirade about Doumeki in ch. 42, but the conversation between Tsunakawa and Yashiro tells us a few things:
Tsunakawa knows Misumi wants Yashiro back in the yakuza. Seems like this is common knowledge among most of the groups. This is either good news or bad news for Yashiro. He's Misumi's weakness in a way.
The Goudagumi were destroyed and Tsunakawa thanks Yashiro for it. Yashiro says he wasn't the one responsible. He's right: Hirata set him up for the hit on the Goudagumi. Still, as wakagashira of Shinseikai, Yashiro would have taken part of the blame anyway, per yakuza rules. And my guess is Tsunakawa knows Yashiro wasn't the one who wrecked the Goudagumi because Amou would have told him about Hirata when he asked Tsunakawa not to harbor Hirata at Sanwakai. To me, it seems like Tsunakawa is feeling Yashiro out.
Yashiro learns that Tsunakawa is the Sanwakai accomplice who helped Misumi clean up the Hirata-Goudagumi thing and smooth relations between Doushinkai and Sanwakai.
Tsunakawa asks Yashiro why he doesn't have his own group. This felt like an invasive question to me. I wonder if Tsunakawa can already sense how Doumeki still has some loyalties to Yashiro. Would Doumeki leave if Yashiro started his own group? Yashiro tries to allay Tsunakawa's concerns by saying all the mean little things he says about Doumeki. But Yashiro knows what Tsunakawa's up to because he mentions it to Doumeki in the bath scene later.
Tsunakawa leaves by saying "people never really change." Earlier, Yashiro had said that Doumeki changed into a quintessential yakuza after leaving Shinseikai. "People change. Those who don't die," Yashiro says. I wonder if insisting people don't change is Tsunakawa's way of saying Doumeki's never changed and his loyalties haven't either, or that Yashiro's never changed and his priorities haven't either, or if he's making a general observation. But "people never really change" seems to fit so much at this point in the story. In any case, this little throwaway line seems important because the background fades to black as Tsunakawa tells Yashiro, "I thought you'd feel the same."
Nevertheless, Tsunakawa says the proceeds from finding Kido and recovering all the money Yamakawa stole will be split 60-40, prompting Yashiro to say they're aiming for Misumi's favor (ch. 42). Later we see Tsunakawa on the phone with Amou. Tsunakawa says Yashiro has a lot of affection for his men, meaning he probably saw through Yashiro's mean little speech about Doumeki being a baby bird that ended up at Shinseikai by mistake (ch. 43). Tsunakawa also guesses Yashiro is the reason Doumeki's pinky is cut off, but Amou corrects him: Yashiro's the cause, but not the one who ordered it. Yashiro doesn't do pointless stuff (which Tsunakawa takes personally).
In Amou's flashback, we see that another K-named group, the Kouseikai, lose 100 million yen because someone stole it (ch. 43). The next scene shows Doumeki bringing 200 million yen to Misumi. Amou had asked Doumeki if Doumeki could live in a cunning way demanded by the yakuza. And this is Doumeki's answer - he can. He can bring money to Misumi, and lots of it (ch. 43). Here's some important information: Doumeki stole at least 100 million from a subgroup of another syndicate called the Kouseikai and then he got another 100 million elsewhere. Amou knows where he got at least part of the money.
I'm skipping most of the bathroom scene because we've gone over it, but afterwards, Yashiro asks Kamiya how much he heard of the conversation between Doumeki and Yashiro. Kamiya confirms he pretty much heard the whole thing, so Yashiro tries to downplay everything by saying Doumeki must hate him and that Doumeki's actions are just "harassment." Again, this seems to be Yashiro trying to reassure the Sakuraikka that Doumeki is theirs and that he doesn't have split loyalties. There's no such thing as split loyalties in the yakuza, after all. That's how people get killed. Yashiro appears to be protecting Doumeki by minimizing their relationship.
Ch. 44 ends with Nana saying that both Tsunakawa and Yashiro seem uneasy. There's a storm brewing.
In ch. 45, Kido walks in to meet his brother with another person, who we later learn is a former member of the Kyouseikai - the group who kidnapped Niki and were destroyed:
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The other guy gets away, but when our heroes interrogate Kido, they learn that Kido doesn't know Yamakawa was released after being robbed. In fact, Yashiro determines that Kido's being used by the "scary group" that backs Yamakawa (ch. 45, likely referring to the Okuyamagumi or the Ryuuzu who sometimes do the Okuyamagumi's dirty work), Apparently, everything Yamakawa told them about Kido's friends beating him up and taking his belongings was a lie, although Yamakawa was indeed beaten up (ch. 45). Doumeki tries to track down Yamakawa.
Meanwhile, the former Kyouseikai guy who was with Kido escapes to tell Kai that Kido's been kidnapped by the Sakuraikka. More importantly, he tells Kai that Doumeki saw him and that's when we learn that this guy was among those who kidnapped Niki and who Doumeki beat to a pulp. Kai says they should look after Yamakawa because he's their "cash cow" (ch. 45).
Basically, Yamakawa swindled money from Sakuraikka and has given it to this group (likely the Ryuuzu or the Ryuuzu doing dirty work for the Okuyamagumi). The Ryuuzu includes some former members of the Kyouseikai, the group who kidnapped Niki. This obviously sets up big beef between this group and the Sakuraikka. Kai tells this former Kyouseikai member not to tell their kumicho about this. And that they both owe Tsunakawa. Kumicho probably refers to Okuyama here.
And after allllllllll this, we finally learn who this group is, well maybe: They're connected with Okuyama's group and they're called the Ryuuzu. They contain members of the former Kyouseikai who kidnapped Niki and Kai is maybe one of their leaders (I'm guessing, because Kai's called "boss" in ch. 45). He's not the wakagashira, though - that title goes to someone else. And in the latest chapter, Doumeki says Kai is "of the Okuyamagumi," so either Kai and Co. are in the direct line of the Okuyamagumi or they're members of the Ryuuzu and the Ryuuzu is actually more of a subgroup to the Okuyamagumi than everyone suspects, even though they're supposed to be a non-yakuza affiliate as opposed to a fully-fledged group. Either way, Kai's bad news and he has connections to Okuyama who's also bad news.
The Ryuuzu is made of the remnants of the Kyouseikai and has some very close connections to the Okuyamagumi, meaning this group is all people who hate Tsunakawa. In ch. 45, the Sakuraikka are beginning to suspect that Okuyama might have had a hand in the Kyouseikai's kidnapping of Niki. They ask Yashiro to step away because it's clearly a family beef now and one dangerous enough that they don't want to have to answer to Misumi if something happens to Yashiro. Yashiro says he'll have to think about it and plays it off like he's interested in Yamakawa's money. We know Yashiro doesn't really care about money, so my guess is he's going to report to Misumi.
Muraji thinks so too, because he asks for Yashiro to be brought back to Sakuraikka and asks him to withdraw again (ch. 48). Yashiro refuses. Muraji then says Yashiro is Misumi's "right hand" (ch. 48). Yashiro laughs this off, but Muraji says that the Ryuuzu started beef with a Doushinkai subgroup not too long ago (ch. 48). Given that Yashiro isn't an official member, Yashiro can move in ways a full member can't. He must be looking into this beef. Muraji also says Yashiro is trying to find the link between the Ryuuzu and the Okuyamagumi (ch. 48). Yashiro doesn't deny this (ch. 48). It seems he's doing it for Misumi, who probably wants to keep track of the skirmishes because they could grow into all-out war. Here's what we know: There's a larger syndicate, the Kyokuseikai, with whom the Okuyamagumi are affiliated. Doushinkai has a long-standing relationship with the Kyokuseikai (ch. 48). If this relationship is something like exchanging cups, or agreeing to keep the peace, then Okuyama's beef with the Sakuraikka is going to cause problems for Doushinkai too, given that back in the day the Doushinkai and Sanwakai chiefs exchanged cups as equals. So even though there's not a lot of talk of the Kyokuseikai, they seem to be a kind of wild card that can tip the balance between Doushinkai and Sanwakai, and that could, depending on how shit goes down, provoke an all-out war. given their history. This would be particularly bad if Okuyama is responsible for Niki's kidnapping - that's a deal-breaker by any yakuza standard. You simply don't do that shit.
And now, Doushinkai gets involved with the Ryuuzu mess too. Doushinaki isn't directly allied with the Okuyamagumi, but they've got a long-standing relationship with the Kyokuseikai, who the Okuyamagumi are affiliated with (though technically not a subgroup of). The Okuyamagumi seem to be using the Ryuuzu, who have remnants of the Kyouseikai, to do their dirty work. Doumeki beat the shit out of Kyouseikai (not Kyokuseikai) members when he rescued Niki. Needless to say, the Kyouseikai remnants in the Ryuuzu probably hate him. And if Misumi learns all this, it might be bad news indeed because now Misumi's in the position of being loosely affiliated with the asshole who kidnapped Niki. Right now, Misumi wants to know the connections between the Okuyamagumi and the Ryuuzu, and he's sent Yashiro to figure things out. My guess is Misumi-kumicho already has some inkling of what went down with Okuyama and Tsunakawa and is trying to prevent an all-out war.
Later in ch. 48, Yashiro tells Doumeki a few things:
He didn't realize Kido was connected with the Ryuuzu (It's not clear if he's telling the truth here. He says it's coincidental that Kido runs with the Ryuuzu, but Yashiro also doesn't believe in yakuza coincidences.)
Kido kidnapped Yamakawa before Misumi came to tell Yashiro about the Ryuuzu and the Okuyamagumi (the night they didn't have sex).
Inami told him that Kido's being backed by the Ryuuzu only after they were already trying to track Kido down.
Yashiro did not know the Sakuraikka and the Okuyamagumi were connected (or so he claims).
In ch. 49, Tsunakawa tries to separate Doumeki and Yashiro like a teacher who's done with two kids acting up in his classroom. He'd like Doumeki to search for remaining Kyouseikai members. Remember Doumeki has a long history with the Kyouseikai, so this probably won't end well.
Tsunakawa, for his part, is clear they're trying to find out who started all this shit with Kido and Yamakawa and they're going to kill that person. He thinks it's probably Okuyama pulling the strings, using the Ryuuzu to do his dirty work.
In ch. 49 we also learn that the Okuyamagumi aren't a small-time group that'll be easily put down. They're very violent, and Okuyama uses the violence they perpetrate to further his own aims. Likewise, even Doushinkai got caught up in the violence. One of the smaller Doushinkai subgroups got gunned down by the Ryuuzu. Tsunakawa does say, however, that he's not interested in what the umbrella syndicate - the Kyokuseikai - will do. If Okuyama used the Kyouseikai (not the umbrella syndicate) to kidnap Niki, he's going to destroy the Okuyamagumi. Misumi might thank him for that given the Okuyamagumi may have used the Ryuuzu to take out a Doushinkai subgroup, but Misumi probably won't like it if the Kyokuseikai syndicate gets pissy and get him and the rest of Doushinkai implicated in a war with the Sakuraikka/Sanwakai.
Meanwhile, Kai's kashira (not Okuyama) tells him to stop letting the guys in his group run wild. Kai talks a lot of shit for someone who's talking to his boss but he doesn't seem bothered at all about being respectful or dutiful. In fact, on the next page, we see that Kai is reckless: His kashira is worried Kai's turning both Sakuraikka and Doushinkai on them, and he seems like he can't do much about it. This worries me. Who's backing Kai that he can disregard his kashira's orders like this? You don't do that disobedient shit in the yakuza if you want to keep all your fingers. And the Ryuuzu aren't technically yakuza either, so it's not like they are obliged by the same rules that someone like Tsunakawa follows so scrupulously.
In ch. 50, as they're all heading to a Sakuraikka-backed hostess club that's been robbed, Yashiro says he has to accompany Doumeki because "a certain old man" won't get off his case if he doesn't, since this involves the Okuyamagumi. It's clear now that Misumi's asked him to look into the Okuyamagumi, probably realizing this was going to get big the second Yamakawa was kidnapped. They also learn that whoever robbed the club knows the club well, according to the proprietress Izumi-san (ch. 50).
In the latest development, Yamakawa's been found but he's being protected by people (probably Kai's people since Kai says they need to look after Yamakawa, their "cash cow"). What's interesting is how Nana informs Doumeki that the former Kyouseikai member who was with Kido before (when they came to meet Kido's brother) isn't there with Yamakawa. Immediately after hearing this, Doumeki says he'll go get Yamakawa. Does he volunteer to go because he thinks the Kyouseikai won't be there? Or because he knows they will be there and he knows he's already kicked their asses before? Or does he know something about this guy who reports to Kai that we don't know?
This is when the very same former Kyouseikai guy shows up with Kai and all our boys stop to snap pics, except for Doumeki, who asks Nana to share his pic (ch. 53). We know Yashiro doesn't know who Kai is because he sends his pic to Inami to get information. Inami doesn't recognize him at first glance (or at least he pretends not to know), but Inami says he'll find out.
Doumeki, though, sends his picture of Kai to Muraji. Muraji then shows Tsunakawa, who makes this sexy daddy face when he gets it:
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I think Doumeki sent the pic to Muraji/Tsunakawa to inform them that Kai's involved. Like @itwearsadress already noted, Doumeki seems to know who Kai is. And it's clear Tsunakawa knows who Kai is. Not only that, Tsunakawa expected Kai to be involved.
There's something interesting that happens in ch. 54, though: While Kamiya is kicking the shit out of the hostess club employee who stole money, he asks, "Who'd you pay it to?" probably thinking the employee paid the Okuyamagumi or the Ryuuzu. But Izumi-san stops him immediately when he asks. I honestly think Izumi-san is an informant for Doumeki somehow, so it's interesting to me that she stops Kamiya just as the information's about to come out. Did she stop him because she already knows and she doesn't want Kamiya to know? Does she really not want to see the guy beat up? Or does she know something else that we, the audience, don't know yet? Kamiya tells her she's not suited for this work. Just like Doumeki's not suited for this work, right? Maybe that's why they're working together. The point is that we don't learn who the guy's paying stolen money to because she stopped him. By the time the guy's ready to talk, Kamiya learns of another robbery and the story changes scene. So we'll have to wait and see who's getting paid stolen money from a Sakuraikka-backed club (and other Sakuraikka-backed businesses).
Yashiro and Nana get caught in a fight on their way out of the restaurant. It's likely that Kai sent those goons after them. We see a panel of Kai watching Yashiro walk out the building. And now we got problems, because Kai and his men were protecting Yamakawa. Until now, they might not have known Yashiro was involved in the Yamakawa shit. But what other reason would Yashiro have to stake out the building Yamakawa's in? And literally everyone knows Yashiro works for Misumi in some capacity; even Yashiro says it might not be a bad thing to be connected with Misumi since Kai and Co. might think he's only here to inquire after the beef between the Ryuuzu and a Doushinkai subgroup a while back. Yashiro's uncharacteristically wrong on this one (though we never know if he's saying less than he knows). He and Nana came into the diner with Doumeki and the waiter likely told whoever he called that all three were together. This means that whoever the waiter called - probably Kai - knows that Yashiro's working with the Sakuraikka too. They know this isn't just some investigation into what happened between the Ryuuzu and the Doushinkai subgroup. This is about Yamakawa. So now Yashiro's on Kai's radar.
That brings us up to the current chapter. Something - well, a few things - keep bothering me: Why would Kai incite beef with Doushinkai and Sakuraikka unless he was convinced he could win? Who wants to fuck with Misumi of all people? Did they forget what he did to Hirata? So Okuyama and Kai are making such stupid, reckless moves if we take everything at face value. Yes, Kai might be a violent sort of guy, but something else is up. There's something going on that we can't see and that I think Doumeki might see. Misumi might see it too. Maybe Okuyama-kumicho put Kai up to all this, but Okuyama's beef with Tsunakawa doesn't feel like it's enough to explain why the Ryuuzu are starting shit with Doushinkai, unless he was convinced he could turn Doushinkai and Sakuraikka against one another or otherwise destroy the both them. What would Okuyama have against Misumi anyway? So many unanswered questions. That's why I feel something much bigger than a family beef within Sakuraikka is going on in the shadows. All the big players are making moves: Misumi, Okuyama, and Tsunakawa. The question is who's going to get destroyed if all these giants fight.
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