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Thinking about how the two children in dunmeshi were both sold into slavery and how their enslavement differed. 

Thistle was given to the Royal Family as a trophy, a sign of status because he was an elf. Although he was doted upon and “treated as a second son,” Thistle was clearly a different race, of different stature and ultimately a companion for Delgal.

Despite being a child for the entirety of their relationship, Delgal used Thistle to vent his anxieties and worries to him. Here is an uncomfortable and tragic scene where Delgal is absolutely distraught about the death of his father, with the kingdom being taken over. And it is Thistle, the child, who was supposedly seen as a son to the king too, is comforting Delgal.

This ultimately culminates in Delgal placing the responsibility of the Kingdom’s health on Thistle (who, again, was his elf child slave.)

Kui places obvious signs the mental toll it’s taking on him, and his anxieties and worries drive him to self harm and endless stress.

(We see how Falingan recognises him as a burdened baby and hugs him 😣 so cute…)

(EDIT: This is an edited panel of Thistle! Sorry, I should have mentioned that… I think it’s cute. The original says “His Majesty will return soon, when he does, let’s have a grand celebration.” Thank you to the commenter for pointing this out.)

Thus, Thistle was shaped into a child desperate for approval from his owners, to the point that his deepest wish was to ensure the safety of the Golden Kingdom, forever freezing himself and the citizens in time. It is only towards the end of the story where Delgal realises this all happened because of the mental burden he placed on Thistle.

I believe the The Lion keeping its hold on Thistle for so many years compared to the comparitively instantaneous period it kepts Marcille/Laios is partly because of Thistle’s youth. The other Dungeon Masters became mad, yes, but Thistle was unable to ever be convinced to relinquish the book, as he was too dogmatic, too vindictive, just like the child he is.

On the flip-side, Let’s compare Izutsumi. Like Thistle, she has no idea where she came from as she was sold into sorcery and slavery. While Thistle’s trauma came from the emotional abuse suffered by his owners, Izutsumi’s was very physical. She is part cat, part human, thus a beast man.

Izutsumi is even sold to Toshiro’s family as part of his all-female guard, and as a result of her escape attempts she is also cursed to never be able to escape them. Unlike Thistle, Izutsumi absolutely abhors the violation of her body, as well as her lack of freedom. She not only wants to escape slavery, but wants to lift her Beast-man curse and go back to being a human.

It makes it sadder when Izutsumi eventually discovers that it is impossible for her to life the curse. This is because she is a cat who had a child’s soul imbued into her, and removing the curse would remove her personality and revert her into an animal. This implies that the person who trafficked her murdered her human-child self to do so.

Despite this, Izutsumi is the complete opposite of Thistle. She is rebellious, unshakeable, and extremely self centred. All of this is a result of a life where she’s had to fend for herself. However, just like Thistle, she is still childish in her wants and needs and thoughts. While Thistle took on the responsibility the entire fate of the kingdom, Izutsumi wants nothing more than to do whatever she likes.

Whereas Thistle was a status trophy for the royal human family, Izutsumi was a sick science experiment for a trafficker.

Izutsumi is never able to remove the physical effects of what her traffickers did to her, and spent her life fending for her freedom, so she struggles to understand why anyone would take on unpleasant tasks or selfless responsibilities.

She’s also very inept at doing things like emotionally comforting her big sister figure (compare this scene to how Thistle comforts Derghal.) She hates emotional physicality, doesn’t crave approval, but like a cat, and like a child, she craves warmth of another when she sleeps (so cute!)

Meanwhile, Thistle is never able to shake off the emotional effects of what his traffickers did to him, and spent a millennia desperately clawing his way towards their demands to appease them, and struggles to ever stop for a moment and think, “I’m a child, why is this my responsibility?”

There is one thing that they have in common though — it’s that they entirely refuse to depend on others. That’s so tragic for two children to think. ☹️ This concludes my analysis of the two most prominent children in Dunmeshi.

(Sorry I didn’t put more Izutsumi panels, theres a ten photo limit..)

Honestly, it's really fun how Dungeon Meshi haa the main party take on a teenage cat girl halfway through the series, except she's covered in fur all over so nothing shows even when she's naked, she's arguably the most skilled combatant in the group, basically everyone treats her like a kid they're taking care of, she acts like a feral cat begrudgingly choosing to adopt a group of humans instead of a needy kitten, she's a picky eater, she's immune to monsters that try to seduce you, and her past as a slave is directly shown to be traumatic and miserable to the point that her former owner literally made her have a magic seal on her neck that would murder her if she managed to escape.

She's basically the antithesis of fanservice catgirls. Every single trait other series use to turn catgirls into sex objects is inverted to make for an entertaining and interesting character.

God damn sliver in my foot >:[

Chose going to work on time over getting ot out and now it's got a callous around it and it won't come out

Should've just gone in late I wanna bite someone

meow meow🐾🐾🐾

'That means my curse can dispelled as well!! Please, just help me get rid of this animal spirit possessing my body!!'

I freaking love the Izutsumi pictures we took at Babelsberg, everything was perfect that day and it's so much fun cosplaying her. :3

Photos - @misskrone

Creating prints for an upcoming convention and had a literal lightbulb moment

If Izutsumi only has a 'bit' of human soul where's the rest of it? Dead and gone? She doesn't suffer for the lack of it, so it doesn't seem like people need their whole soul. Could someone even take the piece she's missing and stuff it into another monster??

Well, this is gonna be a lot of speculation and very little facts, so beware (will never forget you anon who said I posted my opinions without clarifying it was speculation)

My theory is that in dungeon meshi bodies and souls have some sort of relationship? After all Marcille used the dragon's flesh to resurrect Falin and that cause part of its soul to be mixed in with hers, and at the end to get rid of his soul so Falin could be brought back without being a chimera they ate it's flesh and ground up it's bones so plants would absorb it. So I think it's safe to say there's some relationship between body and soul, at least inside the dungeon where resurrection is possible.

If we take Izutsumi's timeline as a basis, she was a 6yo child when she was taken from her parent's and turned into a beastmen (you could argue that it was a 6yo monster but Izutsumi's ages like a tallman so I doubt only here it would be referring to the monster)

So she was a small child fused with a big monster, so maybe that in itself is why there's way more monster?

The other possibility is that only part of the child was fused with the monster, or perhaps they did take the soul out of her body to put it in the monster, maybe like how ghosts that don't have a body might posses someone that dies and is resurrected and their souls are fused??

But here she only talks about the "personality" changing not their appearance, I really think beastmen and chimera fusions where parts of each show up in the final form makes more sense if their bodies (along with the soul) is fused too? But I'm just speculating.

Anyway, two possibilities

The (whole) child was fused with a much bigger monster and that's why it's the smaller part

The child killed and then only part of her (or her soul) was fused with the monster

Very fucked up either way, about your question if there could be two izutsumis made from the soul of the same child I doubt it, if we take resurrection as an example I don't think they can "divide" the human soul in two different beings? Same as how they couldn't separate part of the dragon soul away from Falin's without before consuming it's flesh? So maybe they burned the rest of the child's body to get rid of the rest of her soul in that second possibility

The AB comic about resurrection says you can't really bring back someone from pieces even if you try to resurrect all of them, so I'd ASSUME that's true for trying to use the same soul for different beings

Anyway these are my thoughts, I love Izutsumi's backstory is so fucked up and tragic... what was done to her is horrible.

I am the monster you created. ↳ Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

When I first saw the scene in Dungeon Meshi where Izutsumi comforts Marcille, I was a bit surprised. Izutzumi's grown a lot since the party picked her up, but she's clearly still uncomfortable with Marcille's emotional vulnerability despite being the one who reached out to offer comfort.

Izutsumi could have just sat there and done nothing while Marcille held her and cried her eyes out, but instead, she pushes aside her own discomfort and reaches out to pat Marcille on the back.

But reading the manga reminded me that this scene doesn't take place too long after their trip to the Golden City. The trip where Izutsumi spent the whole time acting more like a docile housecat than a person. The trip that traumatized her as soon as she had enough of herself back to realize what she'd done.

The trip where Marcille took it on herself to look after Izutsumi, even though Marcille herself expressed her own discomfort with the way Izutsumi was acting. The trip where Marcille had the village girls dress up Izutsumi alongside herself as if Izutsumi was still functioning like a person, even though they all probably could have just shoved her someplace warm and more or less ignored her. The trip where no one gave her grief for eating like a literal animal at the table, and they still included her at a more formal food table than the party generally gets to eat at.

All of this "having friends" and "building healthy bonds" and "looking out for others" might still be new to Izutsumi, but she saw what they all, especially Marcille, did for her when she was completely vulnerable and in no position to defend herself, and despite her stubborn nature and general discomfort with soft emotions, she's doing her best to pay their kindness back.

HERE THEY ARE! Dragon au designs!

And these of course

I’ve done a lot of doodles but I can’t fit them all in one post. I’ll be working on more character designs I’ve been sketching some out :] BUT the main guys for now

wanted to finally draw them! luv these kids

rattles these two around in my head

could you give me a few reasons for why izutsumi is your fav?

God I need to use Tumblr more...

(yap sesh ahead, fair warning)

Anyways, first off I really like her from a design standpoint. This midpoint between humanoid and feline, plus the fact she's covered head to toe in FUR. That's my kinda vibe. Plus her shinobi outfit is just my favorite one, even though she probably hates it :|

Next, I honestly relate to her on a few notes. Her desire to be something else, to have the body she wants reminds me of myself in a way. Not quite as much anymore, but I still relate to that body dysmorphia. Although if I had to choose, I'd definitely take the ears and tail over this stinky human vessel.

I also heavily relate to her desire to do things on her own, and in her own way. I YEARN to just do things on my lonesome and I honestly feel I perform better that way. Doing the things I want to do is a big priority in my life, and I definitely know how it is to have to do things an odd way that doesn't seam to suit you.

Basically she looks cool and relate to the little malnourished edgy cat teen.

😾

catnap

LETS GO anti poaching win

Favorite people

izutsumi is such a fun character bc she hates being a beastman and desperately wants the curse that turned her into one undone, and you're probably thinking "well being part animal sounds fun actually but ig i can see where she's coming from, developing these new physical characteristics due to a curse must feel a bit uncomfortable or even violating of one's self image and relationship with one's own body" but then you learn she's not a cat girl she's a girl cat and it all makes more sense if i was just living my jolly little life as a jolly little cat and one day a curse burdened me with human knowledge and awareness of being i'd be pretty pissed too!!

Dungeon Meshi x Warrior Cats

Kibities :3

Dungeon Meshi x Warrior Cats

Kibities :3

i just realized why it makes sense that lycion could immediately recognize that izutsumi is mainly a cat with a human mixed in instead of mainly a human with a cat mixed in, its bc when lycion is in beastman form hes becomes mostly a big wolf but has a couple of his regular human features like his long head hair and long ears

izutsumi is the opposite, shes mostly human with a couple of small cat features so by the logic of how it presents, and considering hes probably done his research, he would be able to know just from a simple conversation with her what her deal is

i dont know why theres so much confusion and discourse about the “age of maturity” in Dungeon Meshi races, like a 16 yr old tall-man is still 16 like they would be irl, its not like in this world humans mature differently, its 16 the same reason we have Sweet 16s and Quinceañeras and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, humans have marked the “being a man/woman” point around 13-16 for most of human history, it doesn’t mean that in Dungeon Meshi humans age in some crazily different way?

Having a Laios moment but thinking about the implications of Izutsumi. Do you think she could squeeze into impossibly smaller cracks? Like how cats can? And I wonder what her flexibility is compared to other tall men. lol I’m just imagining her forcing her way through the underside of a door

From how she moves I think she has above average flexibility for a tallman, I think possibly she works like a cat (if the head passes the rest of the body can too)

Speaking of cats the way they flip in the air is really interesting!

"The photos revealed that the cats turn over by twisting around the middle and rotating the front and back halves separately. By controlling the amount each part turns, they’re able achieve a net rotation while still keeping their total angular momentum constant."

Is this what Izutsumi is doing here? Her front does rotate first and is followed by her legs <3 (thought she wasn't upside down she fixes her position midair very well)

also look at this gif from wikipedia

Adventurer's Bible Character Extras - Maizuru and Inutade

Dungeon meshi does such a great job at displaying platonic intimacy. Like all the characters in our main group are comfortable around each other by the end of the season. And we get to see them get more comfortable the more they open up to one another. Allowing us to have cute scenes like this showing a normal form of trust that's built over time.

"(blank) hates laios!" WRONG WRONG WRONG. SHUT THE FUCK UP

shuro is just as awkward as laios and it is made So clear he considers him a friend and likes him. he defends him when the canaries start talking shit and actively readies himself to physically fight them so they dont get to him.

namari also likes laios. she respects him as a leader and also defends him and readies to fight the canaries.

ive not actually seen anyone claim izutsumi hates laios, but a lot of ppl Are weird abt them. izutsumi and laios' relationship was rocky at the beginning. he struggled to figure out how to interact with her. but by the end, she actively seeks him out to talk with during the lead up to the feast. she hides behind him when falin wakes up. she has already realized shecan do what she wants and does not need to stick around, yet she does. she sleeps near him on the windowsill, waiting with him and marcille for falin to wake up. she has accepted him as part of her life and wants to keep him in it.

marcille does not hate laios. let me say this again.

Marcille Donato Does Not Hate Laios Touden.

marcille Loves him. in a platonic, familial sense. laios returns this just as readily. she yells at him. she whacks him. she tells him whats on her mind. she uses healing magic to ease his pain during the parasite fiasco. she reattaches his leg when he loses it. she teaches him magic. she lays her head on his corpse and cries before reviving him. she launches herself at him two times, when the canaries interrogate them and when he talks her down in the tower. he is a comforting presence to her. she trusts him, she cares about him, she worries about him, she imagines him as a big fluffy dog that loves and protects her. laios is her rock when falin is taken from them time and time again. and she tries to be his as well. she whole-heartedly, unconditionally, loves and trusts laios.

chilchuck does not hate laios. laios pays him his rates, no questions asked. laios trusts and respects chilchuck's job as a lockpick. laios does not see him as a child (at least, i cant think of an instance where he does so). chilchuck states, outright, he sees him as a friend and doesnt want to see him hurt. he actively worries about him as the falin situation gets worse. chilchuck respects laios. he shows almost 0 hesitation in helping get falin back, nor eating her by the end. he does not think of leaving him once, until he realizes he could lose him. chilchuck is cowardly with emotions and prefers to bottle things, so his first instinct was to bolt. he was angry because he was scared of watching someone he cares about destroy himself. laios is his Friend.

and holy shit. holy Fucking shit. kabru DOES NOT hate laios. kabru has the rockiest start known to man with him, and he Still helps him by occupying the canaries. he warns him about them. he hides the black magic from them just as shuro does. his whole Thing is trusting laios despite himself. kabru has his own baggage regarding other people, just like laios, yet he tries so hard to believe and trust this man. he Wants to. kabru is not very hopeful, but laios makes him Want to be. he states like 3 times he wants to be close to him and sees him as a friend. he stays through the entire feast!! the man who hates monsters, whose biggest trigger is monsters, actively, consciously, Willingly stayed through the entire monster meat feast. all to help his friend get his sister back. he could've left!! the feast was like an entire week!! yet he was there for every single day. he was one of the closest people to the door when falin awoke!! after reuniting with her brother, her friends, the people who knew her the most (plus senshi and izutsumi), the first person she greets is kabru!! he wants to be close to laios, he likes laios, laios is his friend and he cares for him, he wants to meet his sister!!! kabru fucking stays on the island with him as one of his closest, most trusted advisors when he becomes king!!!!! he wants to help him succeed!!!! he wants him to be happy!!!! laios is his friend!!!!!!!!

im just. people like laios!! laios is a nice guy! he is friendly and cares about people! he is weird, he doesn't understand most social cues, he oversteps boundaries, but they stay beside him, because they like him and he is their friend. he is their friend!!!!! friendship is not all sunshine and rainbows, relationships in general are not sunshine and rainbows. you will upset people, people will upset you, you will get into arguments, things will happen, but at the end of the day, the people close to you like you! they love you! they care for you! they want to work it out and get through it because they love you, but they will feel those emotions first! human relationships are complex and messy and life is complicated. even shows for toddlers know this.

if you truly believe any of these characters hate laios you are worse than a toddler. watch some fucking oobi or something. god. fuck.

take this

thanks

It’s so sad to me that Izutsumi Dungeon Meshi’s mother wears something similar to Mongolian/Central Asian clothing, not Japanese clothing. That Izutsumi was probably dragged out of their native culture and doesn’t know it.

Dungeon Meshi Settei

Commented this in a youtube video but I wanna share it here cause more people should hear it, actually. (also op of the video was really nice about it once I pointed it out so wanna share it w more people)

"I’m actually really sad about your take on Izutsumi’s ‘picky eating’ esp after the praise for how Laios’s autism was handled. It was honestly so refreshing, when it's so often dismissed as childish, to see Izutsumi get treated with respect for it and have it accommodated as best they could. So often these things are glossed over in shows, and for a bit I thought our only take on it would be Marcilles cultural food hangups which would be treated as a flaw to be overcome. So seeing Izutsumi, and that the story would actually address this topic for once was… amazing, if scary as idk how it’ll be handled fully yet. I have a lot of difficulties with food from a lot of underlying mental health issues, most other ‘picky eaters’ do too (I’m sure Izutsumi with her cat nose and tongue and many on the spectrum can relate to the sensory hell certain foods can be, as one example). It's always been a huge source of shame and serious difficulty in my life, particularly because so many people view it the way you do in this review. With ridicule and seeing it as unreasonable, as just choosing to be difficult. But asking me or Izutsumi to “just get over it” because it's not convenient right now is every bit as unreasonable as asking Laios to “just take the hint/read the room”. It's just this behavior is from a disorder you don’t respect.

Sure yes it causes problems! Of course it would, disabilities do that! But honestly, as an anime only, I deeply hope that while Izutsumi becomes less selfish, she DOESN’T stop being a picky eater. That those two things are decoupled from one another! I am so sick of seeing it portrayed as some character flaw people just have to get over whenever it actually comes up. Having someone who doesn’t stop being a 'picky eater' but still has a healthy and respected relationship with food, in a show so focused on the philosophy and morality of food, would be amazing. I don't know if that's how the story will take it, but I hope it does. I'd be really sad to see it treated as a childish flaw here.

All this to say: seeing Izutsumi treated with respect for what food she can and can't eat, and through being treated with respect starting to work with Senshi and doing what she could to compromise, was every bit as therapeutic for me as the Laios/Shuro fight was for those on the spectrum. And I just wish people would treat that with a bit more respect and understanding."