Did I miss the point at the end of the show (never read the book) but wasn’t he only kept around because he was a clown or a big joke? Toranaga says it before seconding the goofy samurai that betrayed him. Like “I only kept him around because he made laugh.” The whole show you get this mixed thing of it seeming like he’s sort of earning the respect of everyone, and he does to an extent, but Toranaga is kinda like “meh. He’s just my dancing clown.” lops off head
On a side note, can we bring back seppuku or at least the Roman tradition of failed leaders falling on their swords (literally)?
I need a world where Blinken honorably seconds Biden after Biden publicly admits he’s a fuckup and piece of shit.
Hats off to Cato for literally pulling his own guts out after his bodyguards found him stabbing himself after losing a battle during the Roman civil war.
I think you managed to read my mind.
I was trying to remember who famously (to nerds, maybe) got embarrassed and later nonchalantly left dinner to kill himself privately. Hey, you know what, I respect a person who not only admits their mistakes but holds themselves highly accountable. Bring it back!
Have also not read the book but my understanding of it is it definitely puts more emphasis on blackthorn and his perspective. Personally I don’t totally buy the idea that Toranaga only keeps him around out of amusement and I think if it was that simple he’d have actually let him gut himself and had a chuckle about it on the way to dinner. That said I do think that monologue was to reemphasize the point that while he may have bumbled into being useful once or twice: Anjin is ultimately a mostly passive player in the history playing out around him and despite all his suffering and ambitions he is destined to be little more than a footnote.
