(L) Black Bullet(ブラック・ブレット) [Light Novel]

[Xero8420]

Even so, I pray there will be a spark of hope. Even though the lives of the two girls are at stake when the worst is coming to them.

[Dark Paladin X]

Originally Posted by Fireminer

The problem would be: Will Rentarou still be human enough by that time? Death of his beloved, plus constant fighting and killing is 80% guarantee he to be broken. And if you think about it, how aware Seitenshi is to the world around her? She might not even truly understand Rentarou, whose life is a mirror of the harsh reality

Spoiler for About Rentaro:

As I mentioned earlier, he's a flawed utilitarian. He wants everyone he loves and cares about to be happy. At the same time, however, he also does not anyone suffer (which sadly, the author finds one way to put Enju and Rentaro through massive suffering), which is why he establish the utilitarian ethics of "sacrificing my own happiness for the sake of other people being happy."

Apparently, this completely backfired on him when he does this on Kisara in volumes 5 and 6. Although the "sacrificing his happiness for Kisara's happiness" is kinda resolved at the end of volume 6, he's still doing the same thing with Enju (a bit justified since Enju happens to be very emotionally fragile) and Tina. In fact, Rentaro even stated that he can't imagine his own life without Enju and Tina simply because he brought so much happiness in their lives and Enju and Tina being his purpose of life (as they helped bring happiness in his life as well).

For my knowledge, he's isn't an anti-hero yet. However, his "sacrificing something for the sake of others" utilitarian ethics makes Rentaro dangerously close into being one.

Originally Posted by Xero8420

However...

Spoiler:

When SHTF, chance are, it would further worsening her condition. Her kidney was already worsened by the Gastrea that killed her parents. If she tried to take an extreme risk, she would be dying regardless.

Anyway, I get where this story goes. Since the author tries to break Rentarou down psychologically, while having both Enju and Kisara a walking time bombs. When he attempt to put Seitenshi closer with Rentarou, I believe there's still hope for Rentarou, especially when he has driven down into darkness. Perhaps the author tells him to stop being a god damn Jesus Christ just like what Emiya Kiritsuge did. Hopefully Seitenshi could save him from hell. I wouldn't be surprised if she eventually fall in love with him.

I pray... all of hell he have been through... would be enough for him...

Spoiler for more on Rentaro and Seitenshi:

Both Rentaro and Seitenshi share the same beliefs when it comes to cursed children. The major difference is that Seitenshi is an idealist while Rentaro is pragmatic. Rentaro isn't a Malcolm X type character, but he is dangerously becoming one.

Oh and Rentaro about to become a Emiya Kiritsugu type guy, the author did originally wanted Rentaro to be like him, but ditched that idea stating it doesn't fit into the setting. Not to mention that Sumrie has constantly warned Rentaro not to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of others numerous times (particularly Kisara) and he still continues to do the same thing with Enju and Tina.

I think it'll take an anti-hero who serves as a Malcolm X type character fighting for cursed children and have a similar background to Rentaro to make Rentaro fully realize that what he is doing (sacrificing your own happiness for the sake of others) is very bad idea and should continue bringing happiness to others without sacrificing his own (even if Enju dies).

[Reaper9]

Heavy Theory-Crafting read at own risk

Spoiler for A sudden theory for me in the morning:

So Seitenshi tells Rentaro that he will understand everything once he reaches IP rank around 10 or so...."holy shit" said my brain. It is said that the rank 1 and 2 pairs defeated 2 zodiac gastrea, right? What if that was a lie. Sumire was shocked when Enju asked her what "field" was. Sumire replied that'd you'd know a field user if you met one.... What if the rank 1 and 2 never killed the 2 gastrea.

What if it was a lie, that they themselves are the zodiac gastrea?! There's 11 Zodiac revealed to the world...which means if Rentaro and Enju reach that rank, they'll definitely know. As we all know, information for the characters in this series is suppressed and kept top secret, so the truth might have been distorted along the way. And if the zodiac gastrea were indeed defeated by the one and two, it might be like Claymore, replaceable ranks...As implied since Rentaro and Enju are fighting to rise in rank. So that means the Gastrea Libra who is threatening the cities at the moment...is it possible that Sougen has it under control? As a top initiator who has achieved field?! All of a sudden his confidence would make sense, who gives a damn when you control the keys of destruction to the world?

Also, everyone probably guessed this is why the first Gastrea Scorpio was going after the bike... maybe in it's memory it remembers what it used to be. So maybe in fact the reason the 2 zodiac gastrea of the past were defeated...was two nations warring against each other? What if they are still at war, not just declaring war? Secret operations of this day and age reflect the happenings in our real world after all.

We already have the experimental varanium resistant Gastrea, that is/was researched for breaking through the barriers of the worlds. In war, technology refines itself, and is refined. So maybe the Zodiac Gastrea are too hard to control, and thus alternatives are being researched, to better fight each other?

However, if this is the case, I would fear for Rentaro and everyone's life... What if the countdown for Enju per novel isn't actually counting down her lifespan...but the time until she achieves field? (Which is the same for Rentaro, it's basically Enju losing her current life... Sumire after all said Enju was too naive. Oh dear... I need coffee after this rant.

Edit: For an extra plot twist, what if the Zodiac Scorpio...was the very child Rentaro saved after she was shot by the cops? It'd be doubly ironic, as it was him who put the finishing "black bullet" in her brain. This theory is highly unlikely, since she was from the outer area...but it's possible not all Zodiacs are under government control, as my theory implies. Actually, scratch this one. It's not possible, as Scorpio came from the sea; it is highly unlikely she just ran from the hospital XD. I read too much stuff like Shakespeare and drama, as well as dectective novel/fantasy novels, so I love good irony, but I realize this one wouldn't make sense, just it'd be funny lol.

Just building upon the guesswork that you guys have done already, but it makes the story clearer to me in my mind. Feel free to refute me, as this is just me collecting facts from this thread, as I have not actually read the light novels themselves (Really an incentive to learn Japanese Reaper -_-)

[Xero8420]

@Dark paladin
Like I said, it's only a matter of time for him to learn to seek happiness for himself, rather than just bring happiness for others.

Speaking of which, I wonder how will he handle the "anti-hero" part of himself?

[dearfuture]

I think what Kagetane said (the cursed children would be useless and eliminated if human win the war) will much more likely become the fact. Because it is just the nature of human being(and most species).If there is a potential threat to human they will use all the measure to eliminate them without hesitation.

Hatred(lost family and homeland) ,lack of understand and communication may be reasons for human to do so. But the ultimate reason is guarantee of human survival. Unless the author decide to set a new science/technology to clean the virus in curse children or make human immune to the virus in the future etc, no one can convince people that the curse children may not suddenly transform to Gastreas.

[Reaper9]

Eliminated if they win the war.... But it is human nature to not let go of power once they have achieved it... dearfuture, you've given me even more ideas. More heavy theory-crafting ahead read at own risk

Spoiler for So more on my theory and your statement:

So that reminded me, yea Kategone did say that... but I think the worst enemy of humanity is not the Gastrea, as everyone has already stated in the thread, but humanity itself... so that means the cursed children do transform...and it's making more sense to me, although not in a good way. I'd hate to see how this would totally destroy Rentaro and Enju...Everyone's keeping secrets in this series after all.

Spoiler for More theory time built on my first theory:

More theory. What if the reason Zodiac Gastrea are not effected by varanium...is because they are former mechanized cursed soldiers? That'd make Tina a prime candidate as well. As well as Rentaro. Well crap. I'm recalling the time he injected himself with that many experimental syringes. This would refute my last added joke suggestion, but it's another possibility expanding on my previous argument.

[dearfuture]

“More theory. What if the reason Zodiac Gastrea are not effected by varanium...is because they are former mechanized cursed soldiers? That'd make Tina a prime candidate as well.”

I think human developed mechanized soldiers after the Zodiac Gastrea had appeared...Also it is difficult to link a mechanized soldier with a bicycle.

[Solace]

I still can't come to terms with the idea that they have all of this amazing science but can't fix a pair of kidneys. Unable to cure Gastrea infections? I can see that. Infections that evolve are very hard to cure (see HIV/AIDS), even if they can be suppressed. But when you can create fully functional cyborgs, kidney replacement is a joke.

[Reaper9]

Originally Posted by dearfuture

“More theory. What if the reason Zodiac Gastrea are not effected by varanium...is because they are former mechanized cursed soldiers? That'd make Tina a prime candidate as well.”

I think human developed mechanized soldiers after the Zodiac Gastrea had appeared...Also it is difficult to link a mechanized soldier with a bicycle.

True..but keep in mind the bicycle may not represent what the current person/creature would be riding, but residues of it's past memories. After all, most of the cursed children in this series had un-fulfilling lives. What if that bicycle was all the child/hybrid had? Before they were turned into "monsters"?
@Solace

Spoiler:

Haha yea, that's seriously a lack of foresight on the authors part XD. Or thought at all :P. My consideration is that Rentaro was unwillingly made into a cyborg, and Sumire had the government's money/budget at her disposal, so she was able to change Rentaro free of charge for him. Although, if she was more kind-hearted, she should have done the same for Kisara. But also perhaps it's Kisara's own choice, the feeling that she failed herself in the past to save her parents, a symbolism of her atonement, is the flawed physical part of herself, not to mention her mental issues. And it is often mentioned that Rentaro has a much stronger will to survive than most people, I am quite sure the reason mechanized soldiers are rare and far between is

1. Expenses- Making one is a chore in itself...although honestly if Rentaro was able to replace his arm, who is funding him? Other than Miori...well actually that makes sense, since Miori hates Kisara's guts. And obviously Kisara hates Miori more, so no way would she seek help from her lol.
2. They should not officially exist- kind of hard to reveal the technology for the soldiers if it's not for everyday people to use.
3. Control of technology and with-holding technology is also a strategy of companies/corporations/governments/mercs. Experiments conducted by USA government, like exposing soldiers to atomic bomb radiation so they can figure out how radiation works, infecting the air and killing hundreds of children with a super-virus, poisoning the alcohol in prohibition so they hope people would stop drinking. In the 1990s there was a super-virus that made all plants into alcohol. Too bad it killed EVERYTHING. They nearly released it for production before another company realized holy shit this thing will kill all our plant life. Top secret info that was revealed decades later because "oh hey everyone related to the incident is finally dead, let's show our sincere apologies and reveal the shit the previous administrations did!"

Of course the cliche is "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". Old man Tendou, because he views Gastrea as a threat, so for the "good of Tokyo" he'd be willing to do anything to get rid of said threat. Seitenshi, the idealist may or may not realize that her actions are stirring machinations within "interest groups". Rentaro, as Paladin mentions, the do good for everyone else but me, meaning his relationship with Enju is probably going to be non-fixable if it continues in it's current track. Kisara, who is consumed by revenge, and will do anything to achieve said revenge, even possibly toppling the government and causing anarchy. Kategone, who has been through the gutter, and hopes the world would just end because he views humanity as nearly nonredeemable. (what do you know Kategone?! Tell me!)

[dearfuture]

"The worst enemy of humanity is not the Gastrea, as everyone has already stated in the thread, but humanity itself."Well ,I have seen this kind of conclusions many times.But I suppose most of species have the similar nature to protect them from extinction.

BTW,have you read another LN<<From the new world>>? The novel describes a future:some human develop super power and soon become the threat of normal people.First,normal people discriminate against supplant the "supermen"(superwomen).Then there are more and more conflicts and murders between normal people and "supermen" which cause a war to decide who can survive at last. Finally the "supermen" win and transform the origin normal people to an odiously species...

Similarly, if the cursed children get further revolution and lead by someone, they could be the truly new threat to human. It is just the matter of survival and extinction,but not that of right and wrong.

[dearfuture]

Originally Posted by Reaper9

True..but keep in mind the bicycle may not represent what the current person/creature would be riding, but residues of it's past memories. After all, most of the cursed children in this series had un-fulfilling lives. What if that bicycle was all the child/hybrid had? Before they were turned into "monsters"?

Well ,actually there have been similar conjectures issued by some people.Or maybe a experimenting on a child in the village of seven stars(Gastrea virus is made by human)...

[reynoldszac]

So sorry about asking this but can someone give me a update on what's happening between Rentarou, Kisara, Enju, and Tina? From what i'm getting Kisara's on the edge of life and death because of her kidneys. And what's this about Rentarou wanting to sacrifice his happiness for Kisaras I thought he had a thing for her or the other way around. Sorry there are just too many pages to read through.

[Reaper9]

No I have not read that story yet dearfuture... but I've read many novels with similar cases yea. I also track world news and all the wars that is/has gone on in our life. So all my guesses come from a logical progression of what happens in fiction, and in real life. I've learned to question that though, and I don't usually reach a definite conclusion, as I read arguments from many different sides of thought and ideals. Sometimes they have half truths, as any side would like theirs to be more valid over others. And I think for most part conspiracy theorists are full of doggie doo-doo, but sometimes people get lucky. Also fact checkers are somewhat able to form a coherent and sustainable conclusion to their statements.

That being said, I'm detecting patterns in this novel that aren't so subtle if people pay attention to it. So again, while this is all just theory, I find it highly likely that this is where it is heading. Of course the interesting part is not only the bigger picture, but the characters I have come to love and root for.

@Reynold-

Spoiler for Here ya go for recent summary:

Rentaro often sacrifices his own happiness for what he THINKS would make Kisara happy. Except, that doesn't make her happy because she wants HIM to be happy, and she loves him, so seeing him also so "selfless" is in fact making her frustrated that he is not responding to her (and taking care of himself). They do make up though, and become a couple as of the current volumes. (whether that is good or bad only time will tell, as Kisara is still obsessed with her revenge). Enju was separated for a while when Rentaro was accused of murder, and was paired with a promoter called the "buddy killer", but has since been re-instated as Rentaro's partner (still oblivious to her own declining mortality). Tina is fine as well, but also dangerously close to 50% corrosion rate.

[dearfuture]

Originally Posted by Fireminer

Argue: It's different - Muv-Luv lays roses on the road to Hell (except TDA and Schwarzesmarken). With Black Bullet, the road is Hell itself.

Well, the main difference between Black Bullet and Muv-Luv may be the way to "destroy" heroine. Kisara has a strong sense to destroy herself,maybe a bit like Lyz @Schwarzesmarken.

[Xero8420]

Originally Posted by dearfuture

Well, the main difference between Black Bullet and Muv-Luv may be the way to "destroy" heroine. Kisara has a strong sense to destroy herself,maybe a bit like Lyz @Schwarzesmarken.

Kisara... why she do that? Is vengeance so important to her? Even when she end up killing herself? I thought she wants to be happy with Rentarou. Do that mean that she and Rentarou being a couple would turn out to be a lie?

[Ap1001]

kisara does love Rentaro, but between Rentaro and revenge she would likely choose revenge. In fact Rentaro is merely a remainder of that revenge, the more she stay with Rentaro the more she is determined to get her revenge.

Spoiler for Kisara's kidney:

The doctors can heal her kidney, but she refused, since the pain reminded her to never give up on her revenge. She literally don't give a shit even about her own life as long as she get to kill the other Tendos.

This is the main reason that Rentaro sees his current daily life as nothing but a facade, he knows he can not be with Kisara at the end, he carries other people's hope and legacy so he cannot follow Kisara onto the path of evil.

[bones]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't there an offer for her to get revenge only if she abandoned Rentaro during the time when he was on the run? It sounds more like she refuses to give up on anything even though it's evident that she has to give up on something or lose everything.

[Ap1001]

Nope that wasn't the deal. The deal was that Kisara marry the police chief's son and they would offer her help on her revenge. She didn't accept the deal right there, but she didn't decline it as well. Before she get to answer the rest of vol 5 happened, see my spoiler.

[reynoldszac]

Originally Posted by Reaper9

No I have not read that story yet dearfuture... but I've read many novels with similar cases yea. I also track world news and all the wars that is/has gone on in our life. So all my guesses come from a logical progression of what happens in fiction, and in real life. I've learned to question that though, and I don't usually reach a definite conclusion, as I read arguments from many different sides of thought and ideals. Sometimes they have half truths, as any side would like theirs to be more valid over others. And I think for most part conspiracy theorists are full of doggie doo-doo, but sometimes people get lucky. Also fact checkers are somewhat able to form a coherent and sustainable conclusion to their statements.

That being said, I'm detecting patterns in this novel that aren't so subtle if people pay attention to it. So again, while this is all just theory, I find it highly likely that this is where it is heading. Of course the interesting part is not only the bigger picture, but the characters I have come to love and root for.

@Reynold-

Spoiler for Here ya go for recent summary:

Rentaro often sacrifices his own happiness for what he THINKS would make Kisara happy. Except, that doesn't make her happy because she wants HIM to be happy, and she loves him, so seeing him also so "selfless" is in fact making her frustrated that he is not responding to her (and taking care of himself). They do make up though, and become a couple as of the current volumes. (whether that is good or bad only time will tell, as Kisara is still obsessed with her revenge). Enju was separated for a while when Rentaro was accused of murder, and was paired with a promoter called the "buddy killer", but has since been re-instated as Rentaro's partner (still oblivious to her own declining mortality). Tina is fine as well, but also dangerously close to 50% corrosion rate.

thank you very much for that explanation I fully understand now.

[Ap1001]

I updated the tv tropes page a bit. Now back to spoilers.

Spoiler for vol 3 chp 1:

After recruiting Shoma and Midori, Kisara and Tina joined as the fourth pair. Now with 8 people Rentaro asked everyone to introduce themselves, As everyone introduce themselves in turn it was Midori's turn. She introduced herself as a model cat initiator and told everyone that she knows smell fortune telling. Enju, seeing that Midori wears a large witch hat, asked her whether she knows magic. Midori suddenly reacted very nervously after her hat got mentioned, after Shoma telling her it's going to be okay, she took it off and revealed that she have two cat ears. Seeing this Enju asked Rentaro whether this is possible, he told her that it is rare but some initiator have some trait of their model (ears, wings etc.). Hearing this Enju and Yuzuki pulled down Midori's skirt and her pantie, seeing this Midori quickly pulled down her shirt, began to cry and asked them why did they do that. Seeing that Midori cried, Enju said, with a bit embarrassment, that she wanted to know whether Midori have a cat tail. Not knowing what to do, Enju handed Midori's pantie to Rentaro. Rentaro, after seeing everyone giving him the funny look (and shoma saying he never that Rentaro would finally do it), told Enfu that he didn't want it and afterword the introduction finished without any further incident. They were then called to the civil security army gathering, the general was the middle aged Promotor Nagamasa Gado and his initiator Asaka Mibu (Their IP placing is 275, Rentaro is currently 300. Rentaro also described the relationship Asaka and Nagamasa as that of a married couple). Nagamasa proceed to give a inspiring speech about how they were going to kill that army of Gastrea out there which caused almost all of the Promoter pairs to cheer for him. Nagamasa then annouced the battle plan, the civil security army will stay 10 miles behind the government army, within the old building area so that the civil security army can fight more effeciently when the time comes. (Rentaro actually voiced his question to Nagamasa, asking him why don't they stay closer to the government army so that they can help them when the time comes. Nagamasa replied asking Rentaro, does he really believe the government army would want their help. Rentaro could not answer, since the answer is no, the government army dislikes civil security and wouldn't fight along with them.) After the gathering was over, Rentaro and his team came to the camping area of the civil security army, they stood in front of the fire and promised to each other that they would win.