lnr1772

There are many good points brought up about Luffy’s uniqueness in this article. I would have liked to see his ability to accept anyone, regardless of who they were in the past or who they are in the “present”, addressed as one of Luffy’s unique character traits.

Part of what makes Luffy, Luffy, is his complete lack of self-preservation or self-awareness. He constantly disregards danger, regardless if its source is in a place, person, or thing. He takes everything and everyone he encounters at face-value, and never allows the opinions of others to influence his judgment. It can be annoying at times for the reader – I’ve often wondered, “You idiot, *why* would you do that?” in regards to many of Luffy’s actions. (As an example, during Luffy’s fight with Gekko Moria, when he is easily tricked into chasing after the Warlord’s shadow. Another would be when his fight with Wyper on Sky Island is interrupted by a giant snake, and he ends up in its stomach for a large part of the arc.)

In regards to people though, this ability (when it’s not directed at Navy Vice-Admirals, Warlords, or other opponents obviously stronger than Luffy) allows Luffy to make friends and allies in the most unlikeliest places, like Smoker and Law.

And I think this is part of the reason why many readers like Luffy and find him unique – he accepts anyone as they are, without judgment or any expectations. All of us want a “Luffy” in our lives who can accept us unconditionally.

When I read “The Awakening”, I took Robert to be Edna’s reason to strive for independence, rather than him trying to possess her. For me, Madame Reisz’s advice of how the artist must have a “courageous soul” that “dares and defies” is a warning to Edna – of how she must strive to become independent for herself and her art, not for anyone else. And for a while, Edna is able to be independent.

However, her conviction to be independent falters when Robert is unable to remove himself from the constraints of society as she did – and for this reason, commits suicide.

Other than my own interpretation of the book, I do think this article covers the main points addressed in the book very well.

I watched several episodes of Yugi-Oh!: Duel Monsters growing up, and I agree with many of the points brought up in this article about it emphasizing the triumph of friendship and downplaying a lot of the darker themes. I also agree that in this particular series of the franchise, “disturbing” would be a better word than “terrifying” to describe those darker themes.

However, I would say that the manga has more terrifying aspects to it. I’ve only read a few chapters of it, but I would say that Yami-Yugi’s presence in Yugi’s body is (at least initially) terrifying, because Yugi is unaware that he is sharing his body with an ancient spirit – and that Yami-Yugi takes control of his body without Yugi’s knowledge or consent. And the “Shadow Games” themselves are much darker than the ones portrayed in the Yugi-Oh!: Duel Monsters series, with more dire consequences. In the few chapters I read, Yami-Yugi’s opponents ended up with their minds broken, literally set on fire, and even poisoned.