We can make dicks out of people, though.
Again, Kuchu Buranko never failed with the surprises. This time, we delve more on Irabu Ichiro’s symbolisms and personas, as well as the method of treatment for his next patient, Tetsuya. Interestingly, he provides psychological treatment on a sickness that should have been dismissed as something physical. Add on the fact that said sickness is a rare one, one that affects our sexual and overall personality on a very critical level.
In this episode, the scenario shown isn’t new to use in a sense that it happens on normal instances (of course, you wouldn’t want to be depressed with a hard-on while having a hard time avoiding sexual innuendos). Emotional stress builds up, affects the physical aspect, until relief for the emotional stress is administered. But is it really that easy to deduce such a situation? I’m not one to speak for matters of the heart since I’ve yet to venture on that alien realm, but I do know if such matters dig deep enough to cause bodily harm, if not the person’s overall decline. Tetsuya, however, takes this a step further because of his set behavior.
Fact tidbit: Rhinos are mostly known for their horns, which are either used as an aphrodisiac or an ornament. The first use of it may be the reason as to why Tetsuya sports its head.
As far as observation is concerned, they say people have the tendency to resign themselves too much to fate because of some kind of drastic mental change or trauma. Some say a change in lifestyle can do this, while some say that a crucial moment in their lives may be the cause. Some even consider the way a person is brought up as a reason. Because of their nature, fatalistic people are said to be susceptible to rare disorders, phenomena, recluse, pessimism, and below average to no chance of recovery.
To demonstrate a good example, I am one who, for lack of a better word or understanding, has already given up on the world. The world is not just planet to live on but also as a cycle of the tarot card: Ever-changing, evolving. Because of the nature of my surroundings, I simply leave it to my fatalistic personality, submissive to the vicissitudes of fate. I let the world figure things out by itself, and if it asks for something, I give it. No asking of questions, no complaints, just do it. What’s more interesting to note is that although this kind of outlook gives an impression that a person is good, people are prone to giving a different meaning to it. People perceive “doing things because it needs to be done” as “doing things because the person doing it likes it”. People tend to bend things to their whim and understanding, even on instances that they cannot fully understand something, especially for the fatalistic person’s case. And if given a confrontation, they bail out using any means necessary. Fatalistic people, on the other hand, could care less even at the expense of themselves. Such a sadomasochistic way of life rewards you with a lot of pain, work, loneliness, degradation, hardship… and a clean conscience. This “reward” may be my personal phenomenon, but other people might see it in another way, and I wouldn’t even care one bit.
Healing an ailment of the broken heart is sometimes described as pulling a full-grown oak tree with your bare hands. Tetsuya here simply decided not to, hence him keeping the wedding ring of a divorced relationship.
Sometimes, even with a nature that lets fate decide everything, humans would have a sudden outburst, a prolonged vendetta, or simply something they wouldn’t want to give up, not even to fate. Maybe this is due to the change that turned them into accepting fate and not fighting it. Tetsuya, who is carrying the burden of a broken relationship , not only supressed his sexual desires, but also his emotional output. In order to protect himself from further pain and harm, he would just let himself do what needs to be done without further questioning anything about it. Unfortunately for his nature and his body, the world would not let him shut himself out, hence the “manifestation” of everything he’s been keeping inside.
As for the cure… wait… cure? What cure? There is no cure for fatalism. It’s simply a matter of residing your life to fate, or deciding your life regardless of how fate throws you around. The decision would throw you in another environment, something either better or worse, depending on how the person in question sees it fit. But the moment the decision is made means the person is prepared for anything that comes after his or her decision. Maybe this is what cured Tetsuya, his decision and resolve to act dissolving his indecision and passiveness.
“Letting go” doesn’t mean you have to throw everything out of the window, or you could just do that and pick up what you can salvage afterwards.
Overall, I think I saw a bit of myself on this episode. No, not anything pertaining about love and its amorous advances. I saw a bit of my behavior and outlook on things, and how people receive it, myself included. I can’t say I’m sick, or someone too reserved like Tetsuya. I see myself trying to contradict the fact, and failing to do so. Maybe I need to see Irabu Ichiro myself…
… or maybe not.
Further Reading
The Rhino: Facts and Fallacies
Say you’re a fatalist. The world will do what it does and you’re just going to deal with it, go along with it. Fine, it’s logical, it makes sense, it’s true. EXCEPT: you yourself are a part of the world. You yourself are one of the doers whose actions amount to the “world”. There’s no good reason why “you” of all people needs to think of yourself as in an external relationship to the world. In a sense, you ARE the world.
I’ve always thought of the idea that is mostly implied in any franchise I picked: “The world is as you see it fit.” As much as how I like to think of it as something like that, I also think of this idea: “You are just one of the multitude of beings the exist in it.” A speck, a dot, an irrelevant piece in this marvelous piece of dune. Both make sense, and both don’t, since they contradict each other. But the world, like I said, has its ways in trying to mend any abnormality, or it could just plain let it be and be done with it. It works both ways. How it’s going to play with people, I won’t put a finger on it. That would be answered best by the person in question.
The Law of Contradiction is very, very overrated
I find it very, very annoying.