Talk:Re: Chapter 53/@comment-74.135.59.112-20151118115156/@comment-10733658-20151118175206

Eh, I think people are really running with the "Dark Anti-Hero" thing a little too much.

Remember, Ishida has done a lot of referencing the work of Carl Jung and his "shadow" theory. The various figures that have appeared to him over the series ("Rize", "Centipede", "Lil Kaneki") have all been his Shadow, representing basic urges and impulses/desires that he had difficult accepting and facing.

Sasaki finally understands what Kaneki really wanted, both his desire to be loved no matter what and his desire for death. Consider what has been driving Sasaki this entire time, that terror of Loss and Death. He's been fighting tooth and nail to hang on to the things he's built for himself, the life that he values. He's been so afraid of losing all that, of "dying" and being erased by Kaneki.

Then he came to think of Kaneki as someone that needed to be saved, and didn't want to erase him. He wanted to know more and understand him, even while still fearing losing himself. Now.....now he KNOWS what was really driving Kaneki and what he really wanted.

He wanted to die, and wanted to escape from reality. He didn't want to deal with his problems or face them. He just wanted "a happy dream", and then to die with everyone mourning him and loving him.

It's.....really very twisted. Sasaki finally realizes this, and it runs counter to what he's been fighting against the entire time. Kaneki was suicidal and wanted to die in spite of all the people that loved him. Sasaki has seen how people have been hurt by that, knows at least two people that miss Kaneki. Sasaki has so much he doesn't want to give up, has wanted to live more than anything else.

In terms of the Fool's Journey, we're at the point of "The Tower".

The Tower:
 * Release, Sudden Change, Upheaval, Revelation

"The Fool may need such a severe shakeup if he is to free himself, but the resulting revelation makes the painful experience worthwhile. The dark despair is blasted away in an instant, and the light of truth is free to shine down."

The next step in the Journey is The Star.
 * Hope, Inspiration, Generosity

"His faith in himself and the future is restored."