[Repelsteeltju]

Originally Posted by Kirarakim

I am sorry what? You think how Yakomaru manipulated Saki & Satoru to destroy the other tribes was "taking the moral high ground"

Or what Yakomaru did in the last episode to Kiromaru's tribe was "taking the moral high ground".

Of course not, I'm not stupid. It's just that I've come to imagine that Yakomaru has poised his form of meritocratic democracy in opposition to Kiroumaru's militarist feudalistic monarchy and the village's totalitarian Budism inspired technocracy. In theory he places the highest value on individual life and liberty. He even said as much when he was called in for questioning on matter of the Spider Wasps and the Goat Moths. Every time he squeals of democracy and individualism it's as if he daring his gods to challenge him on the implicit notion that he's (and by extension all other queerrats) their equal.

Yes Yakomaru is a competent but he got by by manipulation, sneaking, and lying. He is so quick to sell out others, what makes you think he wouldn't sell his own tribe if it was to benefit himself?

On another note just because I am saying Yakomaru is not a hero doesn't mean I am saying the humans are "heroes". I am not.

I think that is a moot point seeing as there doesn't appear to be a faction that can offer him anything more valuable more than his own rapidly growing power base. As long as Yakomaru is a part on the Robber Fly society and every individual pursues his own self interests it benefits the colony as a whole. His being being selfish does not make his contributions to his society any more or less valuable the size of them the more so. And really we don't know what he wants that one of the things that make him so scary. He might just be taking every opportunity that he sees, it's just that he sees them a lot sooner than all the other players.

As for Yakomaru being a hero a I'm sure a convincing case can be made either way. I'd just like to note that his scheming and manipulating (I have yet to catch him outright lying) don't disqualify him from being a hero they are no less deplorable than the common hero's heroics (e.g. violence and imprisonment).

Sometimes there can be no heroes in a story. There might be characters I emphasize with (like Saki & Satoru and perhaps characters like Kiromaru & that queer rat that Saki once saved who helped them out later on). But Yakomaru is certainly not one of those characters.

I agree that this story doesn't have any clear-cut goodies and baddies. It's just a harsh post-apocalyptic world and everyone in it does the best they can to get by.


Wow this got a bit longer than I had expected.