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Oct. 7th, 2009 10:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hebbycakesOn the way to Uni, I figured out Lau's story/dream from the beginning of episode 20 of Kuroshitsuji.
(If my writing is hard to read, just lemme know, and I'll type it all out.)
I realized it while walking to Uni. Originally, I was all like 8| about that scene because I thought it was morbidly random and I didn't understand what the heck was going on. But now I do. It's the Opium War, England attacking China. This scene is not in the manga, nor is Lau's betrayal, but I'm willing to bet the mangaka told them exactly what to animate for it.
I'm not sure about the dream of the butterfly because the subs for the ep were ASS. It was like trying to make sense of a bootleg. But still, all those red flowers? They were opium poppies. The men in the top hats? The English. Little Lau getting beat up? Symbolism of the English attack on China during the Opium War.
Butterflies often represent something transitory, as in something ends and something begins. In Lau's dream/story, we see him and his sister chasing a black butterfly. When it lands, he moves to touch it, but it suddenly catches fire, and next thing he knows, he's holding the severed arm of his sister. Basically, the war happened, something changed. When he's lying on the ground, beaten, a butterfly appears and lands on his nose a moment. He reaches for it, but it flies away. The dream ends.
What I can understand from that is something new began, Lau is still searching for that butterfly, for some sort of meaning.
This is taken from a wikipedia page about black butterfly symbolism: The Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi once had a dream of being a butterfly flying without care about humanity, however when he woke up and realized it was just a dream, he thought to himself "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly#Symbolism)
I've written "Zhou" since that was Zhangzi's given name.
Still, this is the dream that Lau recounts to Ranmao while sitting in the tea-ship. Lau reaching for the butterfly after being beaten could mean he wishes he were carefree about humanity, he wants that sort of innocence, that freedom, and that's probably what he's been searching for, or why he decided to work for the Earl.
His betrayal, though I once thought of it as being poor writing/character death, I now see it in a different light. Lau's dream has ended, he's realized he can never go back to the way things were. He tells Ranmao in one scene "Our new life of peace and easy living can now begin, Ranmao." And she looks to him, and bluntly states "Liar", to which Lau only smiles. It's pretty much a given that he knows he's going to die.
After receiving a fatal wound from Sebastian, he and Ranmao stand in a field of opium poppies, with butterflies flying all around them (it's just a metaphor, they aren't actually there). He tells Ranmao they can continue their dream, and says that all things in life are like the butterfly dream. Multiple meanings here, as in life is always changing, one thing ends, another begins. It could also be this thought of not knowing what is real, if you're actually living or watching the live of another, if you really are you or just dreaming of being you. It's confusing logic, but when Lau repeats it, it has a sort of hopeless and sad quality to it.
The music that plays in the opening of the episode (when Lau tells the dream/story) is called "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen", which means "I've been lost to the World". The fact they've named the track this (after another composition by the same name) says a lot about Lau and Ranmao's pasts and stories. I enjoy the sound of this track, it's got that Chinese sort of feel, and the Buddhist Priest's Bell at the beginning is also very interesting. The violin or whatever instrument that's in it I especially like, as it almost sounds like a woman singing.
All in all, I am still disappointed by Lau and Ranmao's apparent deaths, but at the same time, I'm no longer as hateful of it as I was. Now that I understand it a little more, I can feel content with it. I hope to see more of Lau in the manga, and what the mangaka may offer us in his case. :)
(One last thing to add. I also know why in the anime Lau's last name is "Tao". It's not that hard to figure out, since he tells the story of Zhuangzi's dream, and Zhuangzi was a Taoist Philosopher. Not greatly creative, but interesting all the same. One may wonder if he gave himself that name, due to his obsession with that dream. (Though, Tao is also a generic chinese name, but I like to think there was more to it than just that.)
THAT'S ALL /ends essay for now. Also, I'll be posting arts in Lau's (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lostblacksouls) journal. :)
(If my writing is hard to read, just lemme know, and I'll type it all out.)
I realized it while walking to Uni. Originally, I was all like 8| about that scene because I thought it was morbidly random and I didn't understand what the heck was going on. But now I do. It's the Opium War, England attacking China. This scene is not in the manga, nor is Lau's betrayal, but I'm willing to bet the mangaka told them exactly what to animate for it.
I'm not sure about the dream of the butterfly because the subs for the ep were ASS. It was like trying to make sense of a bootleg. But still, all those red flowers? They were opium poppies. The men in the top hats? The English. Little Lau getting beat up? Symbolism of the English attack on China during the Opium War.
Butterflies often represent something transitory, as in something ends and something begins. In Lau's dream/story, we see him and his sister chasing a black butterfly. When it lands, he moves to touch it, but it suddenly catches fire, and next thing he knows, he's holding the severed arm of his sister. Basically, the war happened, something changed. When he's lying on the ground, beaten, a butterfly appears and lands on his nose a moment. He reaches for it, but it flies away. The dream ends.
What I can understand from that is something new began, Lau is still searching for that butterfly, for some sort of meaning.
This is taken from a wikipedia page about black butterfly symbolism: The Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi once had a dream of being a butterfly flying without care about humanity, however when he woke up and realized it was just a dream, he thought to himself "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly#Symbolism)
I've written "Zhou" since that was Zhangzi's given name.
Still, this is the dream that Lau recounts to Ranmao while sitting in the tea-ship. Lau reaching for the butterfly after being beaten could mean he wishes he were carefree about humanity, he wants that sort of innocence, that freedom, and that's probably what he's been searching for, or why he decided to work for the Earl.
His betrayal, though I once thought of it as being poor writing/character death, I now see it in a different light. Lau's dream has ended, he's realized he can never go back to the way things were. He tells Ranmao in one scene "Our new life of peace and easy living can now begin, Ranmao." And she looks to him, and bluntly states "Liar", to which Lau only smiles. It's pretty much a given that he knows he's going to die.
After receiving a fatal wound from Sebastian, he and Ranmao stand in a field of opium poppies, with butterflies flying all around them (it's just a metaphor, they aren't actually there). He tells Ranmao they can continue their dream, and says that all things in life are like the butterfly dream. Multiple meanings here, as in life is always changing, one thing ends, another begins. It could also be this thought of not knowing what is real, if you're actually living or watching the live of another, if you really are you or just dreaming of being you. It's confusing logic, but when Lau repeats it, it has a sort of hopeless and sad quality to it.
The music that plays in the opening of the episode (when Lau tells the dream/story) is called "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen", which means "I've been lost to the World". The fact they've named the track this (after another composition by the same name) says a lot about Lau and Ranmao's pasts and stories. I enjoy the sound of this track, it's got that Chinese sort of feel, and the Buddhist Priest's Bell at the beginning is also very interesting. The violin or whatever instrument that's in it I especially like, as it almost sounds like a woman singing.
All in all, I am still disappointed by Lau and Ranmao's apparent deaths, but at the same time, I'm no longer as hateful of it as I was. Now that I understand it a little more, I can feel content with it. I hope to see more of Lau in the manga, and what the mangaka may offer us in his case. :)
(One last thing to add. I also know why in the anime Lau's last name is "Tao". It's not that hard to figure out, since he tells the story of Zhuangzi's dream, and Zhuangzi was a Taoist Philosopher. Not greatly creative, but interesting all the same. One may wonder if he gave himself that name, due to his obsession with that dream. (Though, Tao is also a generic chinese name, but I like to think there was more to it than just that.)
THAT'S ALL /ends essay for now. Also, I'll be posting arts in Lau's (
lostblacksouls) journal. :)
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no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 08:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 08:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 08:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 08:45 pm (UTC)I think that really was Ranmao in the dream. The severed arm may have just been symbolism, as I said before. It also could mean they lost who they used to be. Like, carefree happy Lau with his smiling sister, and then after the war... Ranmao doesn't smile anymore, Lau seems to be daydreaming all the time and/or playing the fool. It's that theme of transitions again.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 09:12 pm (UTC)Ooooh, that does make sense....and fffff it makes me really sad. D:
no subject
Date: 2009-10-07 09:41 pm (UTC)But yeah, it does have that sad quality to it.