Opinions On Tsukasa Tenma

opinions on tsukasa tenma

buckle your fucks up.

"EVENTS, DISSOCIATION, SEGA."

contrary to popular belief, i genuinely think that tsukasa hasn't been overlooked by sega. at this point, after the "on the stage of dazzling light" event, it can definitely be assumed the sega knew what they were doing. he's been heavily dissociated through a lot of the events, and though a lot of people took that as sega being comedic, i dont think that's the case. in those scenarios, everyone around him looks uncomfortable. this all kind of came to a hilt with the new event. i think his group has finally fully realised how messed up his thinking is; rui definitely being taken aback by seeing this side of him. he dissociates through a lot of his day, and the constant muttering, quietness and panic in his tone through a lot of the event is almost unlike anything we've ever seen before. tsukasa isn't comic relief to sega, i don't believe. he's a funny character, but in the moments i've mentioned, he's an example of how laughing at an uncomfortable scenario will make you regret it.

tsukasa's memory issues have been played as a joke for the majority of the game's run time, as have his dissociation issues. but seeing rui's expression of pure unsettled concern when tsukasa abruptly stops the rehearsal session is definitely a step in the direction that sega wants to properly persue. when tsukasa stops that rehearsal session, his line delivery wasn't perfect but it was better than last time. however, he calls the stop because of his panic in not getting it perfect. he is, above all things, a perfectionist when it comes to his acting. he's used to playing the roles that he's good at, so he can perfect them better. but with the role of torpe, he's thrown right back into a panicked state of not being able to perfect an aspect something he's good at. in a softer voice than we've practically ever seen, tsukasa practically mumbles to rui "how do i put this..? it's like i can only feel [the role] on a surface level, or... something like that?" - tsukasa tenma, using elipses, and being very unsure of himself. tsukasa tenma, using elipses, and being very unsure of himself.

sega has obviously been wanting to do this for a long while, and i think it's a gross oversimplication to say he's been 'overlooked' or 'played for laughs'. because yes, he does funny (sometimes quite idiotic) things. but emu's event was unsettling. it made me very viscerally uncomfortable to see tsukasa fail at making someone smile and then - for the rest of the event - seem hollower and dissociated. i personally believe it's because the person he couldn't make smile was a young girl crying, just like saki. it must have shaken him up. but thats my speculation. for reference, rui even mentioned it in the white day event. "tsukasa-kun's been seeming off since we got back from america, but he seems alright now". that's a decent amount of time, and then he recovered from it. and then, a few weeks in-game time later, he gets thrown through a bigger loop, and immediately reverts into that hollow, dissociated state, where he's trying to stay grounded, but obviously is lost in his own mind. sega has been setting this up, that's definite.

"ASAHINA, SEKAIS, SHOWTIME."

tsukasa, as a character, is heavily... confusing, i think. mostly because his biggest parallel is to mafuyu. which, conscious effort from sega or not, is a big part of why he's being 'overlooked' in some aspects. i mean, honestly, mafuyu is equally as overlooked as tsukasa. both characters can be simplified down to 'annoying' if you don't understand them well enough. but they're two sides of the same coin. mafuyu does everything please her parents, so much so that she's lost any identity she had. tsukasa is desperate to make saki smile because she deserves it, so much so that he never really had time to formulate an identity. sure, tsukasa loves shows. he loves performing. he is passionate about a lot. on the other hand, mafuyu doesn't like or dislike much. she doesn't feel intense emotion like tsukasa obviously does. but what we see from tsukasa are emotions that aren't forced, but are most DEFINITELY not organic. he performs and reacts in ways that are meant to make people, of course including himself, smile. his silly, stupid actions of over the top yelling make emu smile, and make himself smile. he acts outraged at rui, which makes rui talk more about his passions, which makes them both happy. but it's all done with an intention that is at it's core entirely selfless. which is why mafuyu and tsukasa are so easy to compare - they are both so painfully like each other in such different ways that tsukasa would be terrified of becoming like mafuyu to the point where he digs himself further into the hole he's in to prove a point and mafuyu is so confused by tsukasa it would draw her into performative happiness to a more intense extent. but, because of their drastic dissociation, mafuyu and tsukasa aren't getting any development, as that would cause the sekais to change drastically.

so, let's talk about the sekais. the sekais of both mafuyu and tsukasa are... drastic. and i'll save the take about mafuyu for another day. but sekais are created from the emotions never expressed. from intense feelings. tsukasa's sekai. is. fucking. horrific. an infinite world that is EVER-EXPANDING, filled with things that he has suppressed_ or not truly comprehended. saki's plushies are there, idealised versions of himself (kaito) are there, as is never-ending idealistic scenery of a childish happiness he never really got to experience. for a lot of his childhood, it's implied he's been looking after saki. always caring for her, wanting to make her smile. it makes sense, when you think about it, that the origin of his dream to be a star would fade out - he doesn't want to comprehend that everything he does is for someone else. tsukasa tenma, when alone, is quieter, and more spaced out. but when he's in the sekai, even just with the virtual singers or a plushie, his instinct to aid others kicks in and that performative happiness - well, half performative, he's happy - rears its head. the sekai is a culmination of everything he's ever suppressed, and when i realised that 'what he's suppressed' is just his childhood, my outlook on him changed completely.

the odd thing about sekais is that they can be group made or personal. and the wonderland sekai never clears that up. its heavily personal, with vague group flairs. but if you really look at it, its just personal. the virtual singers manifest in tsukasa's perceptions of others. miku as emu, kaito as himself - it's another parallel between mafuyu and tsukasa. in reality, tsukasa's emotions and perceptions are so heavily suppressed and warped, they have created an entire pocket dimension. and regarding that, the other members of wonderlands never seem to comment on it. it could be out of discomfort, or simply out of not truly understanding. the other members of wonderlands each seem to express different opinions of tsukasa. nene seems to like him, and be truly concerned, but never enough to stop him and calm him down. emu definitely likes him, and is concerned, though tends to not brings things up. and rui. he notices the issues, but lets them sit due to his own belief that he is unable to help. that is a problem for another day! but its interesting, because none of wxs ever talk about the issues they see. they express discomfort, all the way up until tsukasa is acting ‘normal’ again. they obviously care for one another deeply, and who can blame them for not acting on what tsukasa is displaying - its hard to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.

i have a lot more to say on tsukasa but i do not want to go on forever-

all around, i believe he’s a silly funky man with a lot of concerning aspects to his character! <3 much love to tsukasa.