Ah, good to see you're back on the project! I was waiting for an update :)
So we finally get to cover Nami's traumatic past.. and as heartwrenching as it is, Bellemere's decision to choose death rather than to disown her girls has always.. well, rather unsettled me. I do love the way Oda writes each character's backstory but there are times when I feel things are a little overdone for the sake of drama(Zeff ripping off his leg and eating it when he could've at least waited a few more days, for instance). Yes - OP is a manga in the end so maybe there's no point in judging the characters' actions from the real world's point of view but still, I can't help but think it would've made more sense if Bellemere just chose to lie and find a way to hide Nami and Nojiko afterwards. Such practical decision might have brought a less grimmer future for all three of them - I mean, we all know what became of Nami's life after Bellemere died.
But then again, what we've seen of Bellemere so far tells us that she's a person brimming with emotion and passion who'd never speak against her heart. So yeah, her decision was utterly stupid from my perspective and far from common sense, but not out of character I guess. I also headcanon that Bellemere too considered the option of lying, but decided it would bring no difference in the end. She experienced firsthand how strong Arlong and his crew was, and I'm guessing she instinctively realized there would be no way of keeping the girls hidden without Arlong eventually finding out. Besides, who knows what Arlong would do when he discovers that he was deceited? Hell, it's not difficult to imagine Arlong killing the girls or massacring the villagers out of revenge. Even if Arlong decided to spare Bellemere and the girls, it would be near impossible for her to keep paying for all three of them. I'm guessing the villagers had the same line of thought and that's why they wanted Nami and Nojiko to leave - though as you've said, the fact that no one offered them a helping hand does leave a bitter taste :(
Along with 'water(or whatever)'s thicker than blood' theme, another major theme that resonates through OP is the courage to do what your heart tells you, even in the face of certain death. I think Bellemere's case is symbolic in that it is the first(chapterwise) of many more idiotic decisions to come - eating a poisonous mushroom when knowing that it is poisonous just because your pupil found it for you, jumping in front of a sea train to stop it when knowing it's going to crush your bones, refusing to back off from an insanely strong enemy just to protect the captain's honor...etc, etc.
And one more interesting little thing I've noticed - why the hell are guns so powerful in flashbacks when they're close to worthless in the current timeline? I mean we recently saw yet another fairly strong character bite the dust due to gunshot. Oda better bring up a character who's spectacular with guns to make them seem more lethal XD
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Date: 2014-12-18 02:30 pm (UTC)So we finally get to cover Nami's traumatic past.. and as heartwrenching as it is, Bellemere's decision to choose death rather than to disown her girls has always.. well, rather unsettled me. I do love the way Oda writes each character's backstory but there are times when I feel things are a little overdone for the sake of drama(Zeff ripping off his leg and eating it when he could've at least waited a few more days, for instance). Yes - OP is a manga in the end so maybe there's no point in judging the characters' actions from the real world's point of view but still, I can't help but think it would've made more sense if Bellemere just chose to lie and find a way to hide Nami and Nojiko afterwards. Such practical decision might have brought a less grimmer future for all three of them - I mean, we all know what became of Nami's life after Bellemere died.
But then again, what we've seen of Bellemere so far tells us that she's a person brimming with emotion and passion who'd never speak against her heart. So yeah, her decision was utterly stupid from my perspective and far from common sense, but not out of character I guess. I also headcanon that Bellemere too considered the option of lying, but decided it would bring no difference in the end. She experienced firsthand how strong Arlong and his crew was, and I'm guessing she instinctively realized there would be no way of keeping the girls hidden without Arlong eventually finding out. Besides, who knows what Arlong would do when he discovers that he was deceited? Hell, it's not difficult to imagine Arlong killing the girls or massacring the villagers out of revenge. Even if Arlong decided to spare Bellemere and the girls, it would be near impossible for her to keep paying for all three of them. I'm guessing the villagers had the same line of thought and that's why they wanted Nami and Nojiko to leave - though as you've said, the fact that no one offered them a helping hand does leave a bitter taste :(
Along with 'water(or whatever)'s thicker than blood' theme, another major theme that resonates through OP is the courage to do what your heart tells you, even in the face of certain death. I think Bellemere's case is symbolic in that it is the first(chapterwise) of many more idiotic decisions to come - eating a poisonous mushroom when knowing that it is poisonous just because your pupil found it for you, jumping in front of a sea train to stop it when knowing it's going to crush your bones, refusing to back off from an insanely strong enemy just to protect the captain's honor...etc, etc.
And one more interesting little thing I've noticed - why the hell are guns so powerful in flashbacks when they're close to worthless in the current timeline? I mean we recently saw yet another fairly strong character bite the dust due to gunshot. Oda better bring up a character who's spectacular with guns to make them seem more lethal XD