Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.
-
So there he is, diving in and out of Yoyogi Dungeon doing RESEARCH! when he gets invited to the Yoyogi Dungeon Café by "a slender woman with a refined face and wearing a JDA uniform."
Enter Naruse of the JDA [Hey, that's how she introduced herself, sometimes I don't have to make these things up.]Seems those observing his in and out sequence suspected him of suicidal tendencies. Just as we'd recalled in earlier posts.
ttl does good illustrations.
"Then I should really get going." Standing, Naruse zipped over to my side. Wearing a lovely smile, she emphasized, "When you're ready to go public, please let me know what you've been up to, okay?"
This is when you give her your business card, Kei.
[This is why you're still single, Kei]Timing is everything [see above]; he'd killed his 99th slime in a row just prior to Ms. Naruse chatting with him, and now, on the heels of her saying to talk with her if they've got anything good...what happens after killing 100 slimes?
Skill Orb Selection Screen appears for the first time, with Vault as an option.'Maybe he should have a chat over drinks in the café with Naruse more often?' never crosses his mind.
Chant along with me, This is why you're still single, Kei.
The Forums.
Not ours, the ones in-story.There I was, reading along, minding my own business, and the very first post in the forums in the entire work refers to Kei as a "weird old man."
Mr. "431: Anonymous Explorer" is asking for a smackdown.
Kei is not an "old man"; I won't argue about weird, but old?
This isn't that series, OK?...at least they recognize the Glory that is Miss Mei, Miharu Naruse.
Um, wait.
How is "mei" pronounced?
May King turns out to be Making.
Does Miss Mei turn out to be Miss May?! -
@Geezer-Weasalopes said in Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.:
...at least they recognize the Glory that is Miss Mei, Miharu Naruse.
Um, wait.
How is "mei" pronounced?
May King turns out to be Making.
Does Miss Mei turn out to be Miss May?!Are you trying to hint at a May King and Miss May ship? Even though one part of the ship is trying to scuttle itself at every opportunity. :)
-
@Geezer-Weasalopes said in Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.:
There I was, reading along, minding my own business, and the very first post in the forums in the entire work refers to Kei as a "weird old man."
It feels very sad that the forums labeled Kei as a "weird old man", since he's listed as being 28. That's right just 28. What is their forum infested with young teens who see anyone over the age of 23 as old?
-
@Isshou he's a 28 year old who has spent years being exploited and overworked by a shitty manager. Ignore the actual illustrations, he should look a lot older than his 28
-
@Ingraman said in Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.:
@Geezer-Weasalopes said in Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.:
...at least they recognize the Glory that is Miss Mei, Miharu Naruse.
Um, wait.
How is "mei" pronounced?
May King turns out to be Making.
Does Miss Mei turn out to be Miss May?!Are you trying to hint at a May King and Miss May ship? Even though one part of the ship is trying to scuttle itself at every opportunity. :)
Um, no.
More something that appears to be indicating a cultural divide between generations.Back in the day, Playboy Magazine having their lead pictorial each month be "Miss [name of the month]" was a factoid that permeated vast segments of society, so "Miss May" as being worthy of a Playboy pictorial wouldn't be out of line with how they seemed to regard Miss Mei.
The bit with May King to Making was showing a known case of the initial reading of the characters being wrong, and that both would involve "May" increasing the potential for this really being something the author snuck in given their fondness for references our readership has found obscure or wondered if the Japanese readership would have gotten due to being more US in focus.
So how "Mei" is pronounced is of relevance to whether this was such a reference.
That my impression of ttl's illustrations of Miss Mei indicating she'd be a fine Miss May might have helped me consider this...
-
@Geezer-Weasalopes Yeah, I was intentionally reading too much into your post. I just didn’t choose the correct smiley in my attempt to convey that. :p
-
@Ingraman Keigo x Naruse ship? We all know Keigo would be too dense to pursue anything with the 'Miss Mei' Naruse. Aside from Miyoshi, she's the other good candidate for a relationship, at least for now. We know from the inserts and the description of being declared Miss Mei that she's generally considered beautiful and from her conduct she's quite considerate. She's the third person in the LN to get an illustration, even before either of the pair from their dungeon introduction class.
I would bet that even if she knew just how much trouble Keigo would end up bringing her way, she'd probably still approach him for that chat.
-
@Geezer-Weasalopes said in Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.:
Kei is beyond dense, he epitomizes dense density, his denseness reaches densosity, pure densitude could be extracted from the very air surrounding him, this is why he's single.
In my headcanon, it's intentional. Kei may be dense but he's not stupid. I think he's far more interested in research and anime references than in women. Or at least not clingy women 5-8 years younger than him. By acting dense he can tactfully keep the status quo.
Consider what we see from his internal monologue. His thoughts about the bevy of beauties are mild and not-horny. He's wary of Saito's flirtatious character, afraid of Asha's dad. When Miyoshi teases him about being a perv he rebukes and denies it; clearly uncomfortable with the topic. The older ladies from the Naruse family have a proper business relationship with him so it doesn't come up (And Midori is the only one who isn't single).
The one exception might be Mitsuragi, who he thinks of as his type of beauty, and he admires her work ethic and seriousness. But he also doesn't consider her as a serious romantic interest. He's too old, she's too pretty [professionally pretty!], and it's too much trouble. Plus he's trying to not stand out.
I could see Miyoshi as a mentee turned close friend with a bit of a crush on him, but he breaks out the pedantic corrections or lame anime jokes like they're torpedos. Down goes the ship.
-
@Outinthegardener
Something that could be looked upon as supporting your thesis is that I can't recall Kei ever even jokingly lamenting not having a girlfriend; Miyoshi is the one who brings it up, but even in his internal thoughts it's not something he brings up.It may or may not be deliberate; if he has no desire to not be dense...
When one hyperfocuses, other things fade from consciousness.
There's a different franchise dealing with researchers and love. -
@Geezer-Weasalopes The closest I can recall is when he's talked with Miyoshi about Mitsurugi and Saito after saving them. The manga adds more with at some point he's talked to Miyoshi about his taste/preference in women. Miyoshi joked that is doesn't matter what your tastes are if there are no prospects.
To me it feels like Keigo has a strong preference and standards he's looking for in a girlfriend and just isn't compromising on them. Assuming he does find someone, who fits his preferences and is also interested in him too he might resolve that 'no girlfriend' state.
Miyoshi is a beauty in her own right but definitely has a focus on profit and likely a personality that while he loves it as a friend, I doubt he'd want it in a lover. Naruse has been mostly a business contact at this point, so there's a strong feeling of keeping things uncomplicated there. For the others we don't get much else, though Keigo has expressed that Mitsurugi matches his physical tastes of a beauty more than anyone else we've seen.
-
Back to rereading...
Naruse drags Kei to 'the usual café.'
heh
Look, it even calls it that in the story text.
They've been interacting off screen due to ongoing events it would seem.
Do they have a reserved table by now?
The wait staff see them enter and start making up their preferred tipple?
[I've had to flag staff down upon arrival to let them know I was going for something different this time, I speak from experience.]Anyway, it's about that.
The Skill Orb Auction Site.
...and I need to get back to reading as it was the mention of 'the usual café' triggering this post.Wait.
This pertains to various discussions.
Kei's internal thoughts upon getting flagged down by Naruse and thinking over the interactions they'd been having, one such thought in particular:I hadn't said this to her face, of course, but she was a wonderful person, both intelligent and beautiful.
Less than fifteen minutes later, or so it feels, he's saying that he wants her to remain the interface between the JDA and D-Powers; this after a discussion of hypotheticals... Long Term Skill Orb Storage to be precise.
Ah yes.
The delivery boxes.
With 'magic circles' upon them, with all sorts of nifty mathematical relationships concerning the interrelation of lines, angles &c specifically to torment any attempting to 'back engineer' them...
Piece of advice: Don't get Miyoshi upset with you. She's diabolical.
Kei is the first to suggest new digs; getting caught by Miyoshi as he comes out of the shower isn't his thing...which speaks well of him.
The line that he hastily covered himself with a towel does suggest someone having lived on their own for a significant period of time; very much used to his home being his place of solitude. Others having a key and entering with no warning isn't on his radar yet.
Miyoshi and Keigo get each others references, no matter how obscure they may be.
It's clear they had a good many similar interests prior to meeting each other via work.
Even given that it's still scary how in tune with each other they are.I'd support the argument that even if Kei did feel an interest that way toward Miyoshi, the fear of destroying what they currently have if it went wrong would have him pumping the brakes.
It's not like his circle of folks he hangs with is that large.
There's Miyoshi.
And, um, there's Miyoshi.
One can start adding names as the story progresses, but it's all folks he's meet as a result of teaming up with Miyoshi and forming D-Powers.
...this is hitting far too close to home just now. -
@Geezer-Weasalopes Actually that is one of the things bothers me too. He's stated he has no family except distant relative that he's never been close with. I just can't believe that he doesn't have some sort of group of friends already that don't only just include Miyoshi. Miyoshi's also a relatively recent graduate and addition to the company. So, what has Keigo been doing for the past years of his life outside work?
But it's been months in the story and there just hasn't been anyone, not even a name dropped. This could be a bit of criticization on the nature of the overworked Japanese businessman. He's never had much time for friends outside of work and didn't carry any forward from school.
He might have had a few in the old company but aside from bringing Miyoshi along, he's basically dropped everything about his old life in that company. Enoki and the other manager must have really driven a wedge between him and that stage of his life.
I would love to see an old friend come back up in his life now, especially that he's basically sets his own schedule and can catch up with some of his old friends. Though after the recent outside D-Power PoV chapters it would be quite suspicious.
-
Concerning the effect of LUC on Real World Events:
Kei adjusts his stats to 100, discovers some dangers in this, and adjusts them all down to 30 except LUC, keeping that at 100.
While pondering whether to leave LUC at 100, Mitsurugi calls.
Having kissed him on the cheek in a drunken haze she's been embarrassed to contact him but for some reason she doesn't understand she felt an irresistible urge to contact him just then.Keigo is honest enough to wonder if this has something to do with his LUC currently being 100.
...that he considers this a lucky thing may force a reconsideration concerning just how averse he is to relationships.Hop forward several volumes and we'll come across a certain gemologist with an unadjusted LUC of 41.
Forty-one.
Natural, unmodified, nothing to do with Dungeons.
Now consider how things keep falling Komugi's way, including Kei being even more accommodating than usual.@Isshou said in Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.:
@Geezer-Weasalopes Actually that is one of the things bothers me too. He's stated he has no family except distant relative that he's never been close with. I just can't believe that he doesn't have some sort of group of friends already that don't only just include Miyoshi. Miyoshi's also a relatively recent graduate and addition to the company. So, what has Keigo been doing for the past years of his life outside work?
But it's been months in the story and there just hasn't been anyone, not even a name dropped. This could be a bit of criticization on the nature of the overworked Japanese businessman. He's never had much time for friends outside of work and didn't carry any forward from school.
He might have had a few in the old company but aside from bringing Miyoshi along, he's basically dropped everything about his old life in that company. Enoki and the other manager must have really driven a wedge between him and that stage of his life.
I would love to see an old friend come back up in his life now, especially that he's basically sets his own schedule and can catch up with some of his old friends. Though after the recent outside D-Power PoV chapters it would be quite suspicious.I have at different times in my life lost all contact with anyone I'd previously known...but that's not uncommon when moving halfway across the US pre-Internet.
Once I'd settled in I always stumbled into a similar bunch of people, but that at least partially has to do with being involved with the SCA and SF Fandom and more recently the LN/manga/anime scene, which can be considered an aspect of SF Fandom.
...I haven't had long term contact with anyone outside of work except within those sub-cultures since graduating from college in 1988. And contacts that were purely work, no matter how much I enjoyed them... I'm not good at maintaining contact if I don't see folks due to a shared activity, including family.Keigo seems a personable enough chap that his not seeming to have contact with anyone outside of work would seem to speak toward the negative aspects of sections of Japanese corporate culture, as you speculate above, even given his esoteric interests as reflected by his obscure references, references that Miyoshi gets and plays along with so not that unique in the end.
Or that he's just bad at keeping in touch with folks, and Miyoshi is counterbalancing that.
Those he's currently in contact with are all as a result of D-Powers related activities, at least initially, and also tend to involve the other folks making an effort to stay connected with him.
When he's the one making the effort...there seems to be concern on his part for how their interactions with D-Powers could negatively impact them down the line and ensuring they're aware they've got a place to run if things get hairy.
This last does speak well for him as a person, but it's sad that it looks like he looses touch if there isn't an overriding reason to stay in touch.
Unless, of course, it was a combination of his job and having moved away from wherever he went to school. -
@Isshou When Keigo first shows his D-Card to Miyoshi, she does mention that his job is like exploitative black hole, where did he find the time to go diving?
And further along when Naruse is translating basically nonstop, Miyoshi says that she resembles Kei - practically living in the office getting caught up in work. -
@Crey said in Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.:
@Isshou When Keigo first shows his D-Card to Miyoshi, she does mention that his job is like exploitative black hole, where did he find the time to go diving?
And further along when Naruse is translating basically nonstop, Miyoshi says that she resembles Kei - practically living in the office getting caught up in work.And Kei said the same about Miyoshi when she was staying up all night calculating his scan readings.
-
Now back into Volume 2, and this thought of wisdom from Kei:
If the right partner and opportunity arises, I refuse to be friend zoned!
This, while having lunch with Saito and Mitsurugi, and having schedule dinner with them and Miyoshi.
Two questions spring to mind:- Define "right partner."
- Define "opportunity."
Yo, Kei, sad to break it to you but I think Mitsurugi did think of those trips together to the dungeon as d-d-dates!
Saito isn't entirely vamping you either.
...and I still have my suspicions concerning Miyoshi. -
Yes, I think leaving his Luck stat at 100 is probably having all sorts of effects.
-
@strangeattractor Another fun one to think of: Kei's initial stats for luck was below average being a 9. So, he would have been slightly unlucky. Likely even leading to the work situation, being sent as the representative, swerving into the goblin, and leaning against the truck and accidentally sending the rebar down into the forming dungeon.
He's gone from a slight unlucky guy to being the luckiest man in the
galaxyworld. And theworldJapan might end up saved because of it. After all he's somehow ending up in the right place at the right time and with the right luck to pull things off. -
@Isshou said in Thoughts upon rereading D-Genesis - there will be spoilers, of course.:
So, he would have been slightly unlucky. Likely even leading to the work situation, being sent as the representative, swerving into the goblin, and leaning against the truck and accidentally sending the rebar down into the forming dungeon.
Even with below average luck, sometimes you still roll the good old double aught on the dice. Which obviously happened for one of the events in your list there.
-
@Geezer-Weasalopes just going to glomp this onto your topic as I think it fits and I don't want to make a new topic.
I've seen comments across the web about how Keigo and Miyoshi are not acting smart, when they are supposed to actually be smart.
- They are both above average smart, this is born out by both of their initial INT scores of 18 for Keigo and 17 (book 2) for Miyoshi. Miyoshi's could have been a point lower since she had naturally assigned 2 points by the time of the first check with Making in book 3 when it was 18.
- They are normal company employees that are employed as researchers in a dungeon adjacent company.
- They have similar, but not identical, geek/random/esoteric knowledge of things outside of work.
Then you have to think about the timeline, it has only been 113 days. That is less than 4 months and it is less than 3 months since the first auction.
See Timeline of D-Genesis - you will be spoiled
Looking at that time line, Keigo and Miyoshi have had zero time to truly acclimate as rich or explorers or important people or anything else other than a no longer normally employed Japanese Salaryman and Office Lady.
Sure they blow money on food, but most of their big spending is party/company spending on things. The house, SMD, Dolly, etc. They've only been "rich" since November 5th and it is currently January 17th, that is only 2 months and 12 days. Personalities do not change at a core level that fast. So I like the way they have been written for the most part.
The same comes to their attitude towards various lettered agencies from across the world. They were born and raised in Japan. They are not going to suddenly go against their natural tendencies. Even when dealing with the Russian hit squad on the way to the OLC trade, they just did some lame detective moves until they were cornered. Then Keigo just did a minor parkour move to flee and when it was all said and done in the lobby, Miyoshi and Keigo were both spooked. Miyoshi more than Keigo, but still both.
When things are forcibly brought to their attention in a civil manner, they think and adapt appropriately (storage orb auction pulled) and when pissed off, they respond heatedly (OLC auction).
Edit: Converted timeline bullet list to Markdown Table
Edit 2: Moved table to timeline post
