This One Is A Doozy - Blog Posts

Sanders Sides Character Recaps and Fortune Telling, what fun

let me start by saying I have suddenly been thrown back on the Fander train without my consent and this is the result of that. its a doozy, but if anyone wishes to discuss further id be delighted. so:

Virgil: came a long way, accepting being accepted, he's still dealing with the guilt of his past i spose. getting more familiar with everyone, him and logan are cute (platonically). Of course as Anxiety, he still struggles with lying (because we get nervous when we think about getting found out) and intrusive thoughts (what if im a bad person) but as a person(?) hes learning to come to terms with that, well on his way with a few crises coming his way, theres that whole thing with saying Paranoid to him, hope we face that. I see self discovery and good things coming his way, a win for all you virgil fans!

Roman: clearly, getting pretty emotionally beat, yknow, sides with Janus to be shot down, goes against Janus to be shot down again, significantly lacking in wins recently, you wonder abt his self esteem. Still doing his job great, which seems to be the only thing hes got going for him which is concerning. in the You vs Yourself vid hes very unsure about his moral views because he recognizes hes not Morality and when he proposes arguments they are based on endgoal, just like hes usually been as Passion, creativity, career drive, you might say? I dont see his arc being addressed in his near future, but I'm sure it will come to that. I see dark times before his good times roll, hang in there Roman fans, he'll get his moment.

Patton: Hes really been going through it, hasnt he. I mean, recently he just found out there was so much more complications to his job that he wasnt prepared to handle and to be faced with it all at once must be really challenging, especially when everyone is expecting results from him and he doesnt even know what to do and theyre all judging his decisions when hes just trying his best with all these new factors to consider with his job as Morality. Its easier for him to come to terms with Janus as deceit than Remus because he can easily see how lying can be good (even though he knows its also not a lot of the time) but he still doesnt really know how Intrusive Thoughts are helpful to Thomas or good in any way. I see in his future, job related anxiety and insecurity. It will be adressed, and its also good he was allowed his breakdown early (You vs Yourself, you can tell I really like this episode despite a severe lack of Virgil and Remus)

Logan: Well. we all know how this is going, I mean, hes the talk of the town lately! As a Logan fan, I can attest to the fact that he did used to be more lighthearted and smile more and I can also attest to the fact that Thomas is very aware of his development as a character and I don't think he'll let yall down. just, what I can glean from his videos. we're all waiting for him to go apeshit, and I with you, and i do think its coming very soon guys, hold on to your proverbial hats! I do enjoy that hes clearly indifferent to the new additions and not thrown off like the others. due to the fact that he is Logic. Id also like to point out that logic can be wrong and everyones logic is different. even if its less so compared to how anxiety is. so. logic is still susceptible to human whims. anyway theres been plenty going aorund abt ignoring logan and the orange side, and I'm always up for discussion on any of these guys. Hes really been just going ham into his job, huh? search for purpose, hmmm? ponder on that morsel. more alcohol in his life as well, an interesting observation.

Janus: oh, the snakey boi. How hes grown. he does a lot of drinking too. what for, I wonder. I do think the preposition to his song reveals a lot, like how Patton is talking to him more, how he knows truths and knows that some need to be hidden and its healthy to lie sometimes even when you know its a lie. Hes confident in himself and his abilities and knows when the criticism is ignorance vs actual criticism, which is why he values Logan's perspective on his arguments and brushes off Roman's jabs to his ego. Hes safely on the ride, and I dont see any heavy existential crises or anything in his near future, as in, he (and Remus, I'll talk about it later) will probably be the only mentally stable ones as the Light Sides are having their purposes reevaluated. Confidence is surprisingly key. who'da thunk it?

Remus: My favourite rat man. True to his name, hes very intrusive, and I admire his determination in his fight for acknowledgement. I think it will serve him well, the "face it bluntly hands on" tactic compared to Janus, who understands where he stands in the others' eyes and will slowly but surely snake his way (see what i did there?) to the table. Remus, and I love it about him, is just running forward to acceptance MACE ABLAZING and I hope it takes him good places. the WTIT ep was very revealing. his confidence in himself, like Janus's, will carry them through the generally rough patch that I predict is coming their way. i do think he is salty abt being ignored, which I interpret as the biggest difference between him and Janus (who might also be, but I dont really see it? I might also be in denial cuz this theory is really working for me) and Remus is wounded by it and trying to hide the fact that hes salty with his craziness and randomness that no one understands. its why he feels mor menacing than Janus. who knows, Janus might be just as peeved but hiding it better? settled himself in for the long game?

both dark sides certainly seem bent (and betting) on getting Logan to lose his marbles, but idk whether thats for Logans good or so the Reasonable Light Side (tm) will see what its like? and by proxy everyone else...? the tail end of the theory is escaping me now. its also 5 am.

Cant wait to see how the orange side manifests, wont that just be plenty of fun for all?

trans allegory in mystic fragrance and forbidden rain

aka: the essay no one asked for

Content warnings for: Discussions of homophobia and transphobia, and brief mentions of suicide.

If you guys have any other comments on this topic (especially KnightsPs, I'm an UNDEADP so I'm less familiar with their lore) please comment or rb or drop an ask or anything! I love talking. It's also been a hot minute (3 or 4 years) since I last took an English class so my analysis is a little rusty.

Part 1: UNDEAD's "Monster" and Queerness

Every UNDEAD song (with one exception) has the same premise — the singers are the impure, immoral monsters who are singing to a pure, human audience. There are two genres of UNDEAD song:

“I’m a monster seducing you into the darkness, give into your desires because I know that secretly you want it too” — Immoral World, Savage Love Affair, etc.

“I’m a monster and I’m so badass” — Darkness 4, Nightless World, etc.

Darkness 4 lyrics, translation by Shirayukin on Fandom wiki.

The “monster” in UNDEAD’s music is shorthand for anyone that exists outside of a pure society. By joining the monsters, you become tainted and can't return to society, but that’s the only way you can possibly live as your authentic self. In this way, the "darkness" is a safe space that these monsters have created for themselves.

This is, of course, a reference to Rei and how he feels ostracized from society -- the whole reason why Koga began UNDEAD was as a message to Rei that if Rei felt like a monster, he shouldn't roll over and die, but live with them as an undead. However, the concept of the queer monster is incredibly applicable imo. Historically, lots of villains in horror media were queer-coded as a way of eliciting disgust or a fear response, as a way of making its villain seem strange and, well, queer. (Oh, no! Look at all these horrible people ruining life for the law-abiding families!) The link between queerness and horror has been analyzed to death.

But queer people also love the misunderstood monster who's shunned by "proper" society. The gothic novels that originated the horror genre in the 1800s, like Dracula or the Picture of Dorian Grey, were written by queer authors and/or contained scores of queer themes. Do I need to go into why werewolves, shapeshifters who had to go deep into the woods to hide their wolf form, can be read as queer? Do I need to go into why Frankenstein, someone abandoned by his own creator and shunned by society by the nature of his existence alone (something out of his control), can be read as queer? Do I really need to go into why the modern-day vampire is queer? Vampires? Of course queer people will love these monsters, because they see themselves in the monsters, more so than the victims. (Also, nothing more in line with the queer experience than seeing a monster and going “ngl they're kinda hot actually.”)

In summary: It's very easy to read UNDEAD songs and UNDEAD's conceptualization of the "monster" through a queer lens. The monster is queer, and the monster welcomes you into the darkness and invites you to also give into your desire to live freely.

Immoral World lyrics, translation by Mandy on Fandom wiki.

Also, shout out the love you tried to hide, huh? Show me your truth? Show me your pride?

Dude.

Dude.

Sidenote: The one exception to this “monster” theme is of course the elephant in the room, Sustain Memories. I think it plays well into UNDEAD’s image — at least in !-era, Rei, Adonis, and Koga have always been the monsters, while Kaoru is the human that joined them (see: their Halloween costumes in !-era). So Kaoru doesn’t sing of monsters, he sings of a human love. There's also something to be said about Kaoru being the one member of UNDEAD who tried so desperately to appear cishet and experience a "normal" love in !-era. But also, it's a wedding song because the anime boys look cute when they sing about weddings.

Part 2: What about Forbidden Rain?

Here's the thing about UNDEAD's other monster songs -- they're always proud of being monsters. They're not ashamed, and they want the audience to join them in their freedom.

Forbidden Rain lyrics, translation by @/snaketaper on Twitter.

On the other hand, the singer in Forbidden Rain sees themselves as a "beast" who can never be forgiven, someone who's slowly poisoning their pure lover. They love them so much that they apparently have to let go of them, for their own sake. It's the first song that actually contains references to genuine love (usually UNDEAD is just horny).

The song remains sort of ambiguous about the nature of the relationship between the singer and the audience. It's clear that the audience does actually care for the singer, since they do reach out a "gentle hand" that the singer can't take. But the singer says, "Let's end this thing that never even began" -- are they even together in the first place? Maybe it never began because they were scared of the "beast." Or maybe it never truly began because the relationship was built on a lie. They sing about a beast inside them that they have to hide, and says that their current self -- the one they show to the audience -- is a fake. And this is something that cannot be forgiven.

It's not hard to read this in the context of queerness. Maybe it's about a gay singer who doesn't want to reveal their feelings and tarnish a platonic relationship. Or maybe it's a trans singer who's wracked with guilt at keeping their identity under wraps and hasn't come out to their heterosexual lover, so they want to break off things before they come out and taint their previous relationship.

In Love & Beast, the "source material" behind Forbidden Rain, Inogari (Adonis' character) is soft-spoken, protective, and kind. He saves the main police character in the very first scene. He's an ambassador and a respected enough member of society that he's part of the Sakurayama (Rei's character) social club. He uses "watashi," which is even more polite than Adonis' "ore." He literally faints at the sight of blood. He's the picture of innocence and goodness and all that society approves of. But in a Jekyll and Hyde-like twist, he ends up secretly being the killer Beast. In the end, the Beast is finally caught when Inogari realizes the truth and chains himself to a wall so he can be caught by the police in an act of sacrifice.

Inogari is the picture of propriety, but he keeps the Beast repressed, and eventually this Beast destroys him. Even if you try your best to act as part of proper society, you'll never really fit in.

Silent Oath lyrics, translation by royalquintet on Fandom wiki.

Another note: Forbidden Rain has a lot of the same themes of self-sacrifice, repression, and pure, romantic love that Knights songs do. Knights, in game, is a much more traditional idol unit than UNDEAD is. Forbidden Rain thus attempts to align itself more closely with the socially acceptable Knights, but it's still an UNDEAD song at its core. The monster is inescapable.

Part 3: Mystic Fragrance and Trans Allegory

This thread by @/pretty5P on twitter (https://x.com/pretty5p/status/1625958198623539200?s=46&t=lm_x5Uw5f8pKXHUoLzYksw) is a really cool analysis on the perfume symbolism in the song and how it relates to Arashi's gender identity (go read it!!), but if you don’t want to give Elon Musk ad revenue, the gist of it is this: Odette is her "masculine" initial impression, the impression others have of her, and the impression that fades most quickly. Odile is her lasting "feminine" self and the true self that remains when the top notes fade away.

Over the course of the song, the singer (Odette/Odile) grows more and more tainted, going from a pure white dress to a multicolored rainbow dress to a pitch black dress. The final perfume note is desire, the desire to live as themselves, the desire to be with the person they love.

Mystic Fragrance lyrics, translation by KYM2020 on Fandom wiki.

While the song does focus on a pure romantic love, just like Knight's songs, the symbolism of wanting to be Odile is far more similar to UNDEAD's monster. The idea of a "hidden desire" lying in wait beneath pure feelings is explored in almost every song, as is the symbolism of a dress that gets tainted by desire:

Savage Love Affair lyrics, translation by Nina on Fandom wiki.

And just like UNDEAD songs, the "tainting" of the pure is never presented as a bad thing. Note the references to the moon in both -- it's only in the dead of night, in a midnight ballroom, that one can "spread their wings" and reveal their true self. The darkness, the space of monsters, is a safe space, and in the light of the truth-seeking moon the singer of Mystic Fragrance says that their audience is beautiful.

In the original Swan Lake ballet, Odette is a beautiful woman who falls in love with Prince Siegfried. She's cursed to transform into a swan in the daytime, a curse that can only be broken if someone who has never sworn their love to anyone swears their love to her (in other words, someone untainted). Unfortunately, the evil sorcerer who cursed her turns his daughter into Odile, the black swan who looks identical to Odette, and Siegfried mistakenly confesses his love to her. Knowing that the curse can never be broken, Odette throws herself into the lake rather than live the rest of her life as a swan, and Siegfried joins her.

Mystic Fragrance isn't tragic, however.

Part 4: Living your truth

The endings of Forbidden Rain and Mystic Fragrance are where they differ. Both of their source endings are tragic — Inogari is unable to control the Beast and shackles himself to a wall, waiting to be arrested. Odette and Siegfried leap into a lake and drown themselves, because the only way they can be together is in death. Forbidden Rain ends with the singer holding their loved one close to them one last time in the rain before they leave.

But Arashi rejects her source material because she chooses to embrace the monster. She becomes Odile. She decides to live her truth, and as the top notes and heart notes fade away, all that lingers is her true self. That's why Mystic Fragrance has a happy ending.

There's a lot of symbolism in the Mystic Fragrance music video with respect to the person who loved Arashi during the war era and who killed themselves. She spreads her arms like the wings of an angel and sings in front of a setpiece that looks like the cenotaph. Her outfit contains anemones, symbols of a lost love and grief (and, coincidentally, the flower that Adonis in greek myth turned into when he died). Her greatest regret was that that person couldn't love themselves the way Arashi now tries to love herself. In this way, Mystic Fragrance is like a message to that person -- live your truth.