Manga and anime have been a part of my dorkdom ever since adolescence. Somehow reading about and watching fictional characters go on impossible journeys filled with gratuitous amounts of blood, off-beat humor and bright, solid clashing colors eased the bouts of raging hormones and confusion. One that I vividly remember from my middle school days was a series called Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro by Matsui Yuusei. It would be the series I’d throw onto the television when I was spending time in my brother’s shared apartment. It was one of those murder-mystery type of anime but it wasn’t boring like that one with Detective Conan that showed on Adult Swim (I’m speaking, of course, in the mindset of an ignorant middle school student; though, even up to this day, I still haven’t watched the series). Instead, it was this odd series about a demon coming up to the human world in order to “consume” the world’s mysteries.
At some point, I abandoned the anime. This was for the same reason I don’t partake in anime binging as much anymore, which is simply, I don’t have the patience. Instead, I switched to the online manga version. I was hooked. I couldn’t stop reading and it was a highly bittersweet moment when I realized that all the chapters weren’t available. On one hand, I had more time with the series. On the other hand, I had to wait. So, wait I did.
That is, until I eventually forget about it and what the name of the series was.
Time passes, I click on the RANDOM button on an online manga site, and BAM! A wild new series appears!
“Hey, it talks about a teacher! I want to be that! Oh, and the kids have to… kill him? O…kay. Well, it is manga, I shouldn’t be too surprised. Eh, let’s see.”
After that little inner spiel, I decided to give it a shot. Little did I know that I would adore it the way that I do now. As I did with Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, I admired the way that Matsui Yuusei had written in his characters. In addition, there was this element of psychology in his work. This time, however, Ansatsu Kyoushitsu was more tailored to an adolescent psychology, and the people involved in their life (i.e. parents, teachers, community), rather than a criminal mindset. This series was perfect for someone looking to go into education, and even for people who weren’t. I was hooked and, proud to say, I still am (curse you, Matsui Yuusei!). There was one particular character that I grew fond of and, eventually related to the most.
In the beginning, he seemed to almost be treated as this side character–someone who was telling and narrating the story but was never quite involved. The more the manga progressed, the more his colors and personality began to show. I won’t spoil it for the readers but his role does become significantly more important as the series matures. Regardless of what his role was, he always appeared to me as this lovable character and I couldn’t place my finger on the reason why. Then, in the recent chapters, it hit me.
I related more to this character than any other character I read about or even saw.
Why was this? Well, to start off, I want to put down a warning for those who are interested in reading the series for themselves. So, I’ll put down a giant:
SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN READING OR HAVEN’T CAUGHT UP TO THE LAST FIVE CHAPTERS (CHPS. 110 – 114).
Much better. Let’s continue. I’ll start with Nagisa’s backstory as to give better context. From what we saw in the few past chapters, Nagisa comes from a divorced household. For reasons that are not stated, but were heavily implied, his parents divorced, leaving Nagisa with his mother, Hiromi Shiota. His mother, to get straight to the point, is abusive.
This is her reaction to her child speaking his opinion. Now, I realize some of you may, “This could have been a lot worse.” You’re right, it could have been. However, let’s call a truce on this one and say that the woman grappling her child and yelling at him isn’t exactly Mother-of-the-Year material. Now, later on in the chapter, Nagisa states something along the lines of, “This has been happening since dad left.” It may be a bit of a jump, but I’m going to assume that there have been elements of this prior to the divorce. This may have led up to the divorce itself. In addition, it seemed that the mother was the only one who behaved like this. As we saw in prior chapters Nagisa’s relationship with his father as good, if a little distant. It was a brief moment but Nagisa seemed more willing to speak to his father about his school life as compared to his mother.
That aside, knowing this relationship he shares with his mother, let’s move onto our main topic.
PERSONALITY
One of the main traits that Koro-sensei pointed out was Nagisa’s lack of self-regard. As evidence by the picture above, one of the first acts that support this claim was when he first tried to assassinate Koro-sensei. Then, afterwards, it was his approach against Takaoka and the God of Death. In all his attempts, there was no fear of his well-being or even whether or not he died. One can equate this as his absolute calm to kill. However, I also equate this with how his personality has begun to develop in his unhealthy household.
What does Koro-sensei mean by the “taint of desperation?” I discussed with my friend–I’ll refer to her as Yarii–and we eventually came to the conclusion that it could refer to this longing to be acknowledged. Even in his own household, his mother doesn’t see him as a separate entity but a person she can live vicariously through. Through that perspective, Nagisa isn’t doing anything right! As seen in the previous photo, his mother took a harsh method in chiding him for his decision and desire to stay in Class-E.
At the tender age of fourteen–at any age, really–humans tend to want to be acknowledged and praised. They want to know that they’re doing all right or that they’re on the right path. I believe this is especially true with adolescents in middle school, who are still attempting to navigate their life. It doesn’t help that they could come home to scorn and ridicule. If parents don’t provide the needed praise and affection, where does a person look? The nearest person–their peers, their teachers, anyone willing to pay them mind.
So, then, what is this “taint of desperation” that Nagisa seems to carry? I don’t think it’s a “desperation” for attention, per se. Instead, I would call it this idea that he may harness. Throughout my teen years, whenever I did something, in the back of my head would always be the voice that said, “If I can do this, maybe I can achieve something for once.” I fought for that goal, regardless of my mental health or stability. Nagisa is no different. What is one thing that he can do well, or that he believes he can do well? Killing. So, he focuses on that. Well, I don’t blame him; if you thought you were only good at one thing, and there were positive outcomes, why give that up?
His resolve, as the chapters progress, flow to a less violent aspiration and he decides to take his time finding a career. However, he knows that he wants to be able to protect others. It’s a truly altruistic and wonderful idea, I agree! However, how much of it is fueled by the instinct that he wants to make others happy, in order to gain their approval? Even at the end of Chapter 114–a chapter which will be saved for a later discussion–he even cooks for his mother–the very one that screamed, hurt, and drugged him– in order to make a compromise and earn her approval. I won’t suggest that adolescents should flip their parents the bird but, at the same time, this draws a line. That aside, his behavior and instinct is to please others. While not at all a poor choice, and even a selfless and noble goal, Nagisa still does not take into account himself. Instead, he focuses on others and how to gain their approval. Despite being a manga character in an extremely absurd manga, he is still a fourteen-year-old kid who searches for the praise and affection from another party, as subtle as it is.
ABILITIES
Nagisa summarizes his ability rather well. He’s able to detect in people their emotions, perceive what their thoughts or motives are. Again, this is quite the ability–perfect for a person wanting to become an assassin. But, it’s not as spectacular once a person tries to hypothesize how this power came to fruition.
From the beginning, Nagisa was shown to be observant and remembers the most important aspects of a person. When he later gains this ability, he chalks it up to the God of Death clapping the spirits out of him (not even kidding). However, there seems to be more than that. One trait that children in abusive households may gain, is this ability of perception. They attempt to read the emotions of others, and can be successful. Why is that?
That’s right. Children become, or at least attempt to, masters of reading people for their own survival. If they aren’t able to read the dark and the light moments, it could mean the worse for them. Nagisa was a bit too late in reading the environment, as evidenced by this panel. However, in later pages, he chides himself for even trying to turn this into what he calls “a bright moment.” He then apologizes for his words, and his mother “forgives” her son’s actions. Had he read the situation beforehand, he would have chosen a different route and, maybe, been left off in a better state.
When in an abusive relationship, whether as a partner, family member or friend, the victim learns to walk on eggshells. Their dealings with the abuser becomes a dance, a practiced routine. What can I do to make certain that I’ll be safe? Are they angry today? What should I do to appease them? If the abuser still becomes angry with the victim, the victim will blame themselves. They practice assessing situations, or what Nagisa calls the “bright and dark moments.”
CONCLUSION
As wordy as this post was, it boils down to this: Nagisa Shiota is one of the most well-made characters I have seen in a while. He comes from a victim of abuse, and still attempts to find a way to navigate his life without the support of his mother. He looks to others, mainly his teachers and peers, as a pillar and tries to piece together his adolescence before the earth’s demise by his teacher’s hand. I would say that, if this series came out of the same time of Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, I would have a character I could better relate to–one that knew the difficulties of growing up in an abusive household and the pressures and confusions of adolescence.
(My complaints about Chapter 114 will wait for another time.)
If you enjoyed reading this article, or didn’t and have some major beef with me, please a comment below so that I can keep improve.
Wishing you the absolute best of the best!
