Chapter 116. The Highest Respect for an Enemy is to Kill Them All
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Chapter 116. The Highest Respect for an Enemy is to Kill Them All
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The Pillar Men are monsters! They are aberrations! They are the enemies of humanity that must be eradicated!
Even now, the viewers of "Battle Tendency" still believe this. But when one of the Pillar Men, Wamuu, accepts his defeat and impending death with such composure, and in his final moments, fights to protect Joseph, his former enemy, from vampires with nothing but his remaining head—all because of the promise of their duel—can the viewers still hold onto that belief?
This isn't to say that they have changed their minds, thinking that the Pillar Men are no longer enemies of humanity. It's more like how among humans, there are both good people and bad people.
Especially under the direction of Akiyuki Shinbo, who is no longer serving as assistant director but has taken up the role of chief director for this project.
Now that he has full creative control, he doesn't just highlight Joseph's cleverness as in the original manga. Instead, he employs a technique akin to subliminal messaging, using a barrage of freeze frames and bold text to plant the intended messages into the subconscious of every viewer!
Simply put, when a video flashes a picture you didn't quite catch, wouldn't you want to rewind and pause it until you can see that image clearly?
You would! And definitely, you would! After all, there's a good chance it might be something enticing!
Even before pausing the video to catch the image, the viewers' minds have already been affected by their innate desires!
...This is something Shinbo learned from his own experience after delving into certain genres.
Similarly, as the duel between Joseph and Wamuu is portrayed using these techniques, it naturally conveys Wamuu's pure resolve to the audience.
With the acting of the chosen actors, Joseph's matching resolve, and this almost amplifier-like filming method, the combined effect makes the viewers feel genuine sadness and regret for Wamuu's death.
Of course, this is partly because Joseph ultimately defeated Wamuu.
One person's hero is another person's enemy.
It's precisely because the Pillar Men were unprecedented foes, and Wamuu was a warrior so formidable that even his enemies had to admire him, that after his total annihilation, the human viewers could afford the luxury of showing him the highest respect they could offer an enemy.
"Who would have thought Wamuu was actually quite admirable."
Even the older Joseph, who had managed to take another break, couldn't help but remark after watching this scene, "At first, I thought he was just another cold-hearted guy like DIO."
"But it turns out that compared to DIO, who was a human turned vampire, Wamuu, who wasn't even human, seemed more like a person who wouldn't bully the weak and kept his promises."
"And then there's Kars. Even though he blamed Wamuu for being too soft-hearted and losing to 'me' in the end, when he heard the vampires badmouthing Wamuu, he killed them without hesitation."
And it's not just Wamuu and Kars.
Even Esidisi, the first to battle Joseph after a proper warm-up, was like that. He willingly let Joseph destroy his body, leaving only his brain to steal the Super Aja to help Kars secure it.
In the end, he even sacrificed himself to buy time after achieving his goal.
Such loyalty and righteousness in them...
If Kars and the others weren't Pillar Men.
If Kars and the others didn't feed on humans.
Then perhaps the conflict between Kars and Joseph might never have escalated to this point.
But if Kars and the others weren't Pillar Men, they would have died naturally in ancient times, becoming fossils or oil buried underground, rather than reviving in the modern era to become enemies of humanity.
So, it's best that such loyal, righteous, and powerful Pillar Men are dead!
Yes, although many viewers, influenced by Shinbo's direction, couldn't help but hold a certain respect for the deceased Wamuu, perhaps due to how Pucci and the others cast Nobuo Tobita as Stroheim and made Stroheim's character more similar to the Major from "Hellsing" to suit Tobita's persona...
This respect for the Pillar Men instead heightened their hostility towards them!
Anyone not of our race must have a different heart!
The version of Stroheim portrayed by Tobita, a "chosen actor," was interpreted as a human wrapped in a monster's skin!
Especially when he returned as a cyborg, his synchronization with this concept dramatically increased, and he channeled the speech-giving talents inherited from a certain failed art student to deeply engrain this idea into the minds of all viewers!
So, soon setting aside their respect, Sora and Shiro began contemplating how to kill Kars, the last of the Pillar Men, saying, "Based on previous performances, Kars' ability is undoubtedly the Light Mode."
"Compared to Wind Mode or Flame Mode, which can manipulate wind and heat and have great power, the Light Mode, which only manipulates and reflects light, seems quite ordinary."
"And judging by Esidisi's and Wamuu's performance in battle, the Pillar Men's hierarchy doesn't necessarily correlate with their combat power. Kars might not even be stronger than Wamuu."
"Which means..."
Kars' chances of winning are almost zero.
And more importantly, Joseph and the others just happened to grasp Kars' Achilles' heel—the Super Aja.
As long as the Super Aja emains in Joseph's hands, even if Kars manages to defeat them, it will be difficult for him to seize the stone.
And this is what Sora couldn't wrap his head around.
According to the OP of "BLOODY STREAM," Kars should succeed in obtaining the Super Aja and become the Ultimate Life Form.
But by the rules, that shouldn't be possible!
Which means...
"Cheating!!" they both exclaimed in unison, as Sora and Shiro nearly simultaneously came to this conclusion.