day 4/30 of analyzing sangyang until season 3 comes out
today i'm analyzing chapter 14-16 (my personal fav arc of the whole series).
i love these chapters because 1) its a good ass arc and the execution is genuinely some of the best in the entire story, 2) its serves as a perfect summary of the complex relationship between lau and xin and 3) it serves as a story progression standpoint because this is really the first instance where we, the audience, realize that xin is nowhere near as normal as he seems in present day.
for starters, the transition into this flashback is genuinely rly good. sometimes the series lwk gets kinda hamfisted w the transitions (looking at u season 2 yajin backstory), but in this instance its genuinely rly good?? lau's tweaking tf out so when he hears his decrepit old radio glitching out he just assigns his own meaning to it until its taken a life of its own and reminds him of his past regrets. CINEMA.
chapter 14 also introduces us a bit more to the gang in hs. we also find out theyre a bunch of rich kids who like to party and drink underage lmao. also lian saying "he deserves better than you lau. i'm taking him from you" ... girl dont play w me. also lau and xin touching hands the tension hello??? furthermore lian, xin and wei are all established as smart while lau is... not.
anyways now we get to the actual meat of the story. xin gets blown off by lian to go to the movies together so he wants lau to go together. lau says no bc hes too emotionally constipated and hes lwk hating asf. his reasoning being 1) he doesn't want to hang out w xin since he has plans w friends and it'll be boring and 2) he'll be blamed if anything happens to xin while hes out alone.
also side note, yajin mentioned in ch 2 that he had seen xin before, but only from a distance. this is the chapter where he sees him! neat detail.
also can i mention the art direction for these chapters?? it perfectly matches the mood in every scene. the alleyway scene where xins about to get mugged for instance was one of the first times it hit me that this was a true noir mystery. lau's face when he stops xin was also scary asf.
also the way xin, yajin and mali were all fine with hanging out together but its only lau's hating ass that's getting in the way. i think he followed xin cuz he wants to be able to prove xin wrong and rescue him as a proper guardian, and also cuz he likes xin (duh) and whether or not he admits it out loud, he doesn't want xin to be able to live without him. he wants to be important to xin. he wants to not be a screwup as a guardian. that's why even when he says he's going home, he stays behind to rescue xin anyways.
when he confronts xin hes very obviously angry and worried about xin, but there is an underlying current that lau wants to be needed, to be right ("imagine what would've happened if i wasn't here.")
xin revealing he knew lau was with him all along was one of the best twists in the whole series. the way the lighting over xin's face subtly changes until he looks like an entirely different person. the moment lau realizes something is off, the light behind him getting stronger and louder while the shadows behind xin getting darker and darker, creating heightened tension and divide. the look on lau's face when he finally realizes. and then the closeup on xin's quietly gleeful smile. its all so good.
and then the aggressor completely shifts, now its lau. sorry but while this scene was genuinely beautiful it also reminded me of the screaming lion vs smiling chimp meme... anyways you can immediately see the look of regret on xin's face its genuinely so sad. lau's face genuinely scared the shit out of me. i think this is one of the things this chapter did really well. both lau and xin get to have their moments of being the 'monster' within the relationship and its genuinely such a good diorama of their cycle. lau rejects xin in some way -> lau does his own thing but misses xin -> xin manipulates lau into doing what he wants unknowingly -> lau finds out xin was controlling him and lashes out -> lau feels like a dog, xin feels lonelier -> repeat.
and at the center of it all, its always about the fact that lau is his guardian. his quote in this chapter summarizes it best i feel "receiving these perks i never asked for, and in return being leashed like some dog, pathetically following you around... its all your fault, zhou ai xin". lau is unsure that him following around xin is actually because he likes him or because he's being manipulated into being xin's dog.
and then xin's mentality on all of this is so heartbreaking. he's been hurt to the point where he thinks his manipulation is normal and even after hes been yelled at by lau, the only thing he takes away from it is that he got to spend time with lau today, and that makes it a good day. this episode is a super important turning point within the series because its really the first time where we realize just how obsessed xin is.
also the author throwing in that panel where they look like theyre abt to kiss was foul and it genuinely got my hopes up.
i think part of the reason why i love these 3 chapters so much is that they feel like a self contained episode kind of? they definitely impact the rest of the story but its narrative through line for these 3 eps is genuinely so cohesive it feels like it could be one single rly good episode of a tv show. we also have a part at the end where it shows things in the present that relate back to the themes of the flashback (the box of xin's momentos from highschool as symbols of both the depths of his trauma and obsessive nature).
also lau getting a boner from xin just touching him LMFAOOO. ik someone who didn't realize this story was gay until this chapter. lol him having a boner to saying "take ur shirt off" lmao. does bro not see the irony.
i'm honestly not doing justice in analyzing this chapter because its genuinely cinema but i feel like the zoom in on lau's mouth could genuinely be on an alternate cover of sangyang, its that good. these 3 chapters on my first read were the moment that this story genuinely got serious for me (read: it began a two year long obsession of mine).
Day 3/30 of analyzing sangyang until season 3 comes out
Today I’m analyzing ch 2-4, SPOILERS AHEAD.
so for starters lau is stupid as shit but we already knew that (ily anyways lau). xin literally begins ch 2 by saying that if someone was working with the head family they would have no problem getting into the annex, and this mfer doesn't put two and two together that THEYRE THE ONES BEHIND THIS. and bro has the audacity to ask xin "why dont u js move out" GIRL WHY DO U THINK??? UR SISTER WAS LITERALLY KILLED OVER THIS???
this is also the first time that we see any servant of the head family, its just his hand but still. i like the choice to basically have the servants be faceless entities, because it doesn't rly matter what they look like. coupled with the fact that we have never once seen any elders of the head family, it makes the head family seem as more of an ominous threat.
i also find the way that xin lied/manipulated lau into going to lian for help rly funny and interesting. he tells lau that he wont tell lian because she'll overreact, but he knows damn well lau will ask her anyways (possibly cuz he js hates listening to xin). speaking of more manipulation, xin telling lau that whoever is behind this is probably an outsider, yet a few pages ago bro was saying that an insider could easily get in no problem... lau pls rub ur brain cells together.
side note, the panels w lau saying "woof" are so cunt.
fun fact: at the end of ch 2 we see that xin's bday is october 22, meaning that the 1st chapter took place on october 22. this is also the day that the first chapter of sangyang was released. pretty neat huh?
chapter 3 introduces us to yajin and mali. i'm fairly certain that the tattoo template we see mali drawing ominously in the dark is the one that's later tatted on xin's back. yajin mentions that he had seen xin before and lau didn't believe him. this is actually true as in chapter 17 yajin saw xin from a distance in high school.
chapter 3 is the first time we see xin raising his fist in the air, a gesture which lowkirkenuinely gives me ptsd everytime i see it. xin lwk messed up for this like look at lau's face he got genuine shellshock from ts. also when we see our first glimpse of child xin, he's wearing a t shirt, which probably wouldn't fit into the canon timeline correctly whatwith the whole xin scratching himself and wearing the head family's garb situation. just thought it was cool that the author probably hadn't worked out all the details abt xin's backstory yet. later on when we see a glimpse of all the heir-guardian pairs, we can also see xin's brother wearing a blazer instead of his usual robe.
in ch 4 we get a bunch of lore dumps basically. also i find it funny how lian was deadass going to tell lau the root of the problem (the relationship btwn the head and collateral lines) and she stops herself because theres nothing left to eat. this part i will work into my theories later, but i think part of the reason why lian has this plan is so the head family and 1st collateral line will gain access to all the artifacts and can therefore not rely on the other collateral lines anymore.
Day 2/30 of analyzing my fav things abt sangyang until season 3 comes out
Today I'm analyzing chapter 1 SPOILERS AHEAD
To begin the story establishes some truths.
1) This is the best opening chapter written in all of fiction.
2) This story is MOODY AF. The black wolf, the ominous ass dialogue, lau's whole wannabe emo ass character design. Even the fact that the manhwa's background is black instead of white. Everything about this screams noir movie, and I was immediately hooked.
3)HOLYYYY FUCK THERES SO MUCH FORESHADOWING. For a diehard sangyang fan like me, rereading the first chapter is the equivalent of getting sucked off eaten out and fucked in the ass all at the same time, its that juicy. This is literary porn, im being so deadass.
I feel the need to stress this to people because I geek out about this so hard:
The opening lines "A wolf?" "yes, a wolf", etc are from the conversation xin has with his brother tan in chapter 60 something.
Child xin is describing Lau insisting that his spirit animal is a wolf. His brother asks him "If that's the case, what are you going to do about it?" and that's where the 1st chapter leaves off the conversation. In chapter 64, xin says his answer, lau is a wolf he can tame, beginning the first fracture of many within their relationship. In a way, you can look at this whole story as xin's answer to that question, and its consequences. This relationship between master and servant, and lau's desperation to fight it, is a major theme that haunts Lau and Xin, and subsequently the story as a whole. It’s already setting up its first theme, already the story knows what it wants to do. I bring this up to say that when you reread Sangyang, you will notice so many details from the beginning that hint at EVERYTHING that happens and it’s so clear that author thought everything through. They knew what kind of story they wanted to tell.
Speaking of more foreshadowing. Lau's meeting Lian and Wei is such a great way to introduce them. 1) Their character designs are awesome and hint what kind of characters they are. Lian's all encompasing starry eyes are full of childlike wonder yet simultaneously unsettling, just like her personality as we find out later. Wei is your typical straight laced robot sidekick. 2) Lau meets them when crossing through the forest trails, and runs into the main road by chance. I like this because it hints at Lau's past with the place and his untamed nature, and it establishes how strict the security around xin is, where even lian and wei had to take the detour to the head family before meeting xin.
AND THEN WE MEET XIN. Already the first two panels tell us everything about this character. The first shot of him is him standing watering the oleander (the symbol for the zhou family), his facial features invisible save for a slight smile. Then the camera reveals his face, and this mfer looks suspicious as hell. This is quite possibly the cringiest thing ive ever said, but that shot kinda reminds me of the mona lisa? Where u can't tell whether xin's smile is genuine or not, or even if he's laughing at u or not.
Then there's the birthday party. Story establishes that xin is an alcoholic, who's intake is restricted by the head family. at this point we don't exactly know who they are or why xin has to obey them, but we're already establishing the lore. Furthemore, the dynamic between lian and wei is also established. Even though xin or even lian could've gotten up to get glasses themselves, lian will ask wei to do it because he is her guardian, and she can get away with ordering him around as her pseudo-servant.
Then there's lian saying "today is *your* day remember?" and the camera pans to xin finally looking up at lau with a serious look on his face, and the mood completely shifts. I sound so schizo BUT THIS IS MORE FORESHADOWING I SWEAR. The way the camera is framing the scene is wayyy too deliberate for this to just be a one off line. Why else would xin's whole mood shift? Lian is subtly telling Xin that he must remember that this party is an excuse to get Lau to go on the hunt for the tattoo's culprit. And also her saying "i'll take care of everything, so you just sit back and relax" also sounds like its subtly telling the audience that she is the one orchestrating the entire tattoo plot with xin and that he just needs to sit back and let the tattoo form. Xin can only offer a slightly frozen smile in response. And then the story immediately shifts the mood back to light hearted with lian and xin talking about sweets.
Also side note, lian mentions a bakery, which is coincidentally where wei has his meeting point with mali later in the story. Coicidence? I think not. It probably doesn't mean anything but I thought it was a fun nod. Also when wei the party with lian, the camera keeps mysteriously panning to xin's knowing smiling face and its kinda unnerving tbh and I feel like its also foreshadowing that wei and xin also have an understanding regarding the plan.
As for xin sending of lau on his actual quest, the story is foreshadowing once again that this entire tattoo plot is bullshit. Lau says it himself "After 5 years of no contact he calls me back just to tell me this bullshit?". Knowing what we know in the future about the head family, why wouldn't xin just tell lau that whoever is coming they must have an alliance with the head family (or else they wouldn't even be able to get near xin), unless of course xin is knowingly working with them and deliberately keeping lau in the dark? Oh wait.
Then of course there's the dream sequence. ABSOLUTE CINEMA. The thick tension in the air, the thought that the intruder must be harming xin again, only for lau to face the realization that lau was xin's undoing all along. this relates to what we learn about lau and xin's past. keep in mind, the last time lau saw xin 5 years ago, xin ran away after lau got physically violent with him. this dream is a haunting reminder of lau's past mistakes, and his fear of lashing out at xin due to his love-hate relationship with him. in a way, the dream can be seen as lau's love for xin only being able to watch helplessly as his anger hurts xin.
in conclusion the first chapter already tells you almost everything you need to know about the vibe, the themes, the intrapersonal relationships btwn characters, and foreshadows almost the entire plot going forward while leaving things vague enough so only rereaders can understand their implications. and that's what makes it one of the best opening chapters ever written. thank you for coming to my TED talk.
Day 1/30 of analyzing my fav things abt sangyang until season 3 comes out
Today I’m analyzing the premise of Sangyang.
For starters, the actual premise google translated from the raws (which are better than the english one imo):
"Lau, someone is carving something into my back while I'm asleep."
.
.
.
The sole direct heir of the Zhou family, 'Xin,' who boasts unrivaled power, and his guardian 'Lau,' bound by a contract between him and the Zhou family.
One night in October, four friends gather to meet for the first time in five years for a birthday party for Xin.
After the party ends, Xin takes off his clothes and shows Lau his back...
"Lau, it's time to get to work now."
"Why do you talk like I have a choice? It's not 'just a matter of choice.' It's an order given by someone."
Someone with a mysterious tattoo tattooed on Xin's back, and the only person who can track that person—Lau.
The more the 'tattoo' incident is uncovered, the secrets of the Zhou family and those around him, as well as the past of Lau and Xin, are gradually revealed.
Will Lau be able to uncover the truth of the incident and save Xin?
A noir mystery presented by a talented up-and-coming cultivator writer, 'Sangyang'
And the English version:
"Someone's tattooing me in my sleep."
On the night of his birthday, Xin, the sole heir of the powerful Zhou family, reunites with Lau, his clan guardian, and confides in him about the mysterious tattoo forming on his back. Lau begrudgingly sets off to investigate this strange phenomenon, but what secrets will he uncover along the way?
I kinda like both versions, but the korean version sets up the audience with the expectation that we're going to uncover the characters' pasts A LOT. the english version is more succint, but also the korean version describes the story as "Read this story: When
you want to see a brutal mutual unrequited love hell" which I think is hilarious, so I prefer the Korean version more.
Analysis:
Compared to many other manhwas, Sangyang is unique in terms of its place in culture alone. It’s a black and white manhwa (already rare) about Chinese characters in modern day China yet it’s written by a Korean author (extremely rare). I even found some rly xenophobic reviews of it from Korean readers just because the story is Chinese.
Furthermore, the story also presents itself in a way that is incredibly rare within its genre. It’s a bl, yet the mc doesn’t even realize he or the ml like each other, and the story only focuses on a few hints of romance. its honestly more similar to a shounen, than a romance. Yet, because of those few moments the story can only be labeled a BL on its original official site (R*di), whereas in its English translation it is labeled as a drama rather than a romance (which I personally find far more accurate, if either Lau or Xin were women would the story still have to be labeled as a romance in Korea?).
The actual premise of the story itself is unique as well. Honestly I struggle to recommend this manhwa to people because the premise is so difficult to explain. You could explain that its just about clan politics, but that leaves out the fact that we barely know much of the politics, and the story focuses almost entirely on the characters and their relationships with one another. A modern noir mystery, yet it blurs the lines between mystical and cold hard reality, leaving the reader entirely at a loss for which could be closer to the truth. The story barely even explains the premise at first, you're immediately thrown into this moody world, and i absolutely love it. The premise of this story is so difficult to describe but i genuinely think its one of the most well written stories ive ever read.
Other things of note:
- the author is gyujik, they have a youtube channel which has the guitar song lau plays in ch 60 and a funny short w xin and lau posted. Other than that we don't know anything abt the author except that they're korean.
- sangyang: the wanderer is actually just called sangyang in the raws. ngl i kinda hate the localization of the title, which i will get more into when i discuss the meaning of the name (day 29 btw), but the english title is essentially redundant, so i just prefer to call it 'sangyang'.
- lau is tagged as the top and xin is tagged as the bottom despite there barely being any romance in the story much less even sex lmao. other tags (source: user @PuppyCorporation's comment):
#ModernDrama #ChildhoodFriends #Reunion #Contract/MasterRelationship #Friendship #FirstLove #BattleRomance #KoreanBL #AffectionateTop #TsundereTop #BigTop #RegretfulTop #Rude/MeanTop #PureTop(sometimes considered virgin in BL) #CommitedTop #LovingTop #Top'sUnrequiredLove #BeautifulBottom #KindheartedBottom #RegretfulBottom #SoftOutsideStrongInsideBottom #PureGenuineBottom #UnrequitedBottomsLove #Wounded/Hurt_Bottom
Anyways I just rly love this story and I want to yap abt it until it returns in 1 month.
I don’t even read this but Jesus Christ his tatas are huge
i dont even read this but these comments got me crying, im eating my popcorn and witnessing the fandom cannibalize itself
not knowing the context and going through the comments literally feels like a nightmare blunt rotation LMAOO
i think fujimoto wrote himself into a corner as soon as the literal apocalypse started and it feels like his heart hasnt been into csm for a while now so he js wanted to end it as soon as possible. idk it rly feels like everything that happened so far has kinda been for nothing..? and he js said 'oh well lets uhhh bring back power and nayuta and asa to make the fans happy' and thats it. it deadass feels like fanfic
i was one of the ppl delusional enough to believe that this was going to have a thematically relevant ending and not js one where they reset the whole universe to make him magically happy again so im honestly rly disappointed that a manga thats known for subverting shounen.. anyways im still delusional, theres going to be a part 3 that magically solves all of the writing choices, yall trust...!!!!!!!!
samee!!! I think the apocalypse thing dragged on for a long time and he realised that he's totally lost the plot. csm could've been the greatest shounen ever written if fujimoto cared more about the story than giving all the female characters huge asses...like why does power have that much cake in the last chapter bro
day 5/30 of analyzing sangyang until season 3 comes out
today i'm analyzing ch 23 & 24 (aka the chapters where they nearly kiss).
this is basically the closest to romantic the series has ever gotten and ive been surviving off of these lauxin crumbs for 2 years now. theres so much yearning and story details hidden within these 2 chapters. theyre the definition of an emotional rollercoaster
lau fake threatening xin to drink all of his booze, reading chapter 70 something, i now realize he learned that from miu.im going to sob brb.
then we got xin making sex jokes i love them sm omg.
anyways as for the actual analysis of this, i think this is the closest we ever actually get to seeing the "true" xin. when he's drunk he lets his true desires slip
"lets say i odnt want to be holed up in here any longer. if i were to neglect my duties as heir and stay out of the head family's reach.. if i were to just forget about all my responsibilities and obligations... and decide to start fresh somewhere else... would you come with me?" as we see their siblings trying to run away together and getting killed for it. chills literal chills. xin tries to pass it off as testing lau but we know damn well he was being 100% serious. he probably only said that because he knew the head family was spying on them thru the cameras tbh. also i REALLY dont like how the story keeps hinting that xin's going to die froma all of this.
them carressing each others faces has me kicking my feet and giggling lwk. im kinda glad they didnt kiss rn cuz they would probably be executed for it by the head family and also i dont want their first kiss to be while xin is drunk.
in conclusion, find someone who looks at u the way xin looks at lau in the balcony scene.
then we're back to the mystery and we get to see more of lian and wei. lian mentioning "a mystery puzzle that doesnt reveal the picture before i putt all the pieces together" is the same puzzle she's aurafarming in front of and dumping the navy blue dye on in chapter 78. honestly theres so many hints abt lian's true nature im kinda shocked i didnt get it earlier on. she just treats lau as "something fun" she can "easily figure out". i want to believe she'll end up being a good guy at the end of all this, at the very least an antihero, but its getting harder to defend her lwk.