Talk:Karren von Rosewald/@comment-26358011-20151217161605/@comment-10733658-20151217171522

(Yeah, sorry about that, Anon. We were forced to lock the page down because of persistent issues, and haven't been able to open it back up.)

The nervous tick seems to be, in Mutsuki's case, a comforting gesture rather than a revelation of dishonesty. Mutsuki used to do it when he was distressed about something, especially in cases where he was trying to find the courage to do something. If you pay close attention, you'll notice Kaneki has a similar tell when he's upset -- he clasps his hands together, usually on his lap. It's a fairly common thing people do when upset and trying to reassure themselves.

But I've noticed we haven't seen Mutsuki do it since the Auction. Which does seem to match with his greatly increased confidence and courage. Juuzou has definitely been an excellent mentor to Mutsuki.

Honestly, I think the parallels between Mutsuki and Kanae/Karren are really fascinating. Mutsuki's actions are one that, in the view of Japanese society, incredibly selfish and in violation of social conformity. Mutsuki ignores convention in favor of personal comfort and interest, which sharply contrasts with Karren's decision to sacrifice her sense of self and comfort for the sake of Filial Piety. Karren's actions are the type which Japanese society would view as more ideal, in terms of sacrificing personal desires and interests for the sake of honor, family, and social conventions.

But instead, she pretty much destroyed herself bit by bit and lost her sense of self completely. Then she died a tragic death, wishing she had lived her life true to herself.

In contrast, Mutsuki has pretty much flourished since the Auction. Of course, the question as you raised it is what comes now that the team has just taken two major blows at once? Mutsuki has tried to be peacekeeper and supporter to everyone else on the team, but has just pretty much lost his best friend and the beloved mentor that he's known since the Academy. It's going to be so ugly. D: