Puzzlematsu Another One Overanalysis

Okay so I caved and properly edited my analysis of the Puzzlematsu set Another One. Not sure what its another one of, but I think it might be related to the Angel&Devil set because of its similar theming and colors.

The Angel & Devil set was more about right verses wrong. How the NEET’s approach things they actually struggle with (Example Kara and being a pushover).

The sets are also called Insider, and the description mentions them having an inner battle. More than that I think these sets specifically might be about inner desire, and how they choose to confront the thing their minds hide away.

Each set has one of the sextuplets being suddenly confronted with a shadow with a cracked mask, the last image always being how that Sextuplet choice to confront this piece of themself. I, personally, love the way they’re presented to us.

I like to make myself laugh by saying the shadow is coming out of Osomatsu’s ass.

For Osomatsu’s set, it repeats a lot of what we already know, but I like how it presents it to us.

Osomatsu is a park when his shadow shows up. A place he and his brothers spent a lot of time as children and as an adult its where he can be surrounded by like minded individuals (literal children). In the show itself, Osomatsu is known to bum around the park for day drinking or even just because he has nothing better to do. He’s literally surrounded by nostalgia and I think that’s where his shadow is the strongest.

The real meat of the meal comes from the final image of each set. It’s an explosion of color and conflict and Osomatsu’s just has so much to chew on.

For starters, Osomatsu’s mask isn’t the only one with a smile on it. It is, however, the only mask with sharp teeth. Most of its cracks are from the top of the head and barely reach the eyes.

The masks are just that, masks for hidden desire or maybe even their more buried nature. For someone who is openly a piece of garbage, why is the mask so intact? What can we get from the mask itself?

It could be that the mask has such sharp teeth as a scare tactic. Something that makes others steer clear of it as a defense mechanism, or it could be how Osomatsu genuinely sees himself. Someone dangerous or aggressive. The cracks on the top of the mask could even be seen as devil horns, much like the image of Devilmatsu that Osomatsu is known for.

More over, Osomatsu is the only Matsu who is aggressive with their inner self so openly. Is it something he really doesn’t want to deal with? Or something he’s forcefully repressing? The inner self appears smug, like it knows there’s nothing Osomatsu could do that would force it away forever.

I also find it interesting and kind of cute- how each sextuplet has a token in Osomatsu’s set, rather than anything that is unique to him. There is the money, but money is superficial. Everybody likes money.

The money itself is scattered and all over the place. Instead, its the little tokens of his brothers that are placed behind protective walls. Kept in place, unbroken, and where Osomatsu can keep an eye on them.

And really, that can mean so much. From- he loves his brothers- to -yikes- but regardless I think its an interesting way to frame Osomatsu’s perspective of his family and his inner self.

Karamatsu’s location of choice is a little hard for me to put my finger on in terms of meaning. Really, if we wanted a place that mostly belonged to Karamatsu, he would be on the bridge or the roof even. Except he’s not, so I wondered what made this window so important.

On one hand, I think they chose it as a reference to The Karamatsu Incident, even the sky changes when the shadow appears.

It could also just be because Karamatsu’s home is his safe place and where he likes to look at himself the most.

It’s also a little on the nose that his shadow comes from the mirror in a time of literal self reflection. Not to mention the shadow is the only one that directly grabs Karamatsu- almost like its demanding his attention.

For such a flashy guy, Karamatsu’s final image in the set is shockingly simple. The only thing really note worthy of his background would be his glasses and the arrows.

As for his glasses, they do get broken quite a bit in the show. He also uses them to hide, or appear more confident. In this confrontation, he doesn’t need to hide- hence why they’re so out of reach. It could also be hinting at a shattered confidence.

The arrows? I’m not completely sure why those are there. The only thing I can really think of, is Todomatsu and the Five Demons. When each brother was hit with arrows when Todomatsu was eating them up verbally.

Which could mean the arrows are a stand in for hurtful words. If we want to take it more literal, then the arrows could represent the stand still Karamatsu feels in his life. The arrows are stuck, embedded in crystal. They cannot fulfill their purpose and they cannot go further than what they’ve reached. If you catch my drift.

Karamatsu’s mask is the only one with a frown on its face. The only shadow that shows its sadness.

We know Karamatsu is an emotional and sensitive guy, so that isn’t too surprising. He tries to be a larger than life cool guy, but he’s actually super sensitive (His background being the most cracked and shattered could also hint at this.)

But his mask is just a bit more cracked up then Osomatsu’s, and if we follow a similar line of thinking when it comes to the mask, it could be how Karamatsu sees his buried emotions. Sad and pathetic- or its just how his emotions really are.

Not to mention Karamatsu is the one comforting his inner self. Meaning he is aware of its existence, accepts it, but still hides it. That, or he understands it but just isn’t ready for the mask to come off yet.

He’s cringe and he’s not free

This set feels like the equivalent of doing something fun only to stop and realize you probably look cringe as fuck. Like drawing your homestuck oc in 2025- I say, as I look in a mirror

Once again, Choromatsu is in the comfort of his own home, where he can indulge in his interests and have fun. That’s when the self reflection kicks in, but its inviting and encouraging. It wants Choromatsu’s attention, or maybe to distract him.

Like Osomatsu, most of the meat comes from the final image. I’ve noticed Choromatsu is very self aware, but chooses denial more often than not.

Choromatsu openly admits to being a pervert. That he likes being lazy, and that he is an asshole- yet he’ll double back into denial right after confessions like that.

His background is structured, but its also breaking apart. Things like his glow sticks and his cardboard appliances are restricted by vines with thorns. Though I still have some trouble trying to figure out what that means.

Thorns can generally represent sacrifice or even just holding something hostage. Really, it could go either way.

Choromatsu could see these things as something he’s forcing himself to hold onto despite the facts that they’re holding him back.

It could also be things he feels like he can’t indulge in, because he needs to be proper member of society. Only his inner self trying to get him to let go of expectation. A battle of mind and heart.

Choromatsu doesn’t look at his inner self, but they are physically touching. Meaning he knows what his inner self wants, and he is aware of it, but he’s trying to pretend it’s not there. Like he doesn’t want to acknowledge it as a piece of himself but doesn’t force it away.

Sources!

• Here’s the fandom Wiki for the set itself
• The images themself I got directly from User @snowimatsu appreciate you sugarplum

It was really fun revisiting an older analysis of mine to touch it up, especially seeing how differently I view the characters now. I should have the younger brother’s dissection up by tomorrow. Kiss kiss!

I wanna over analyze these stupid sets so bad but I already look insane enough but it calls to me like a cursed sword that aches to possess me.

Totoko, Karamatsu, and the theme of driving.

If I stand correct, Karamatsu and Totoko have been associated with driving a total of two times and I have yet to read that to filth so I’m gonna do it now. (ramble under cut)

Keep reading

It’s been mentioned before, but another thing I hope they do is expand on Totoko’s friendship with everyone else.

Like, Totoko is very much friends with a lot of our cast. She is very much Hatabou’s friend even if he doesn’t think so. Chibita thinks Totoko is cute and actively likes her. Her and Nyaa are lesbian co parents.

But I think more specifically, I want to see how her friendship works with the other sextuplets. Osomatsu and Totoko are besties and Totoko is everything Karamatsu wishes he could be- but like what about everyone else???

Homura Hc’s (or a mini appreciation post tbh)

Homura is one of those characters we see only a handful a times. I think we see her maybe three times in the show, and a couple times in the merch. Mostly Hesokuri wars.

But despite the fact that she has about two speaking roles in between three seasons and a movie, the writers try to keep her personality in tact and I like that they do that.

Most of this comes from Jyushimatsu Dolphin (season 3 Ep. 8). Where Homura sticks her neck out to help Jyushimatsu follow his dream of being a dolphin.

We don’t know exactly how cannon these skits are, but certain characters are chosen for a reason and I think we can take away a lot from some of Homura’s decisions and actions.

Like the fact that she even agrees to help Jyushimatsu at all despite not knowing him (in this skit at least). She tells us directly that it was because she was moved by his passion, but staking your job on something as flaky as passion would be- what some people call- a dumb risk.

Despite being the only one in his corner, Homura gives her all into training him. In her first appearance in season one, Todomatsu call her “Weird” And I think this skit goes into depth about how weird she actually is. Homura hardcore trains him in the ways of being a dolphin that she is familiar with, even if that means nearly drowning him.

This girl that we met in season one, who we knew as soft and sad, is in fact a weirdo.

Like just look at how everyone reacts to her! Go off queen!

I really like how this skit gets rid of any assumptions about Homura’s character. From her first appearance alone you would think maybe she’s weak willed or fragile- but she really puts her all into the things she cares about and doesn’t let anyone slow her down.

Homura doesn’t even call it out or try to explain herself, it’s just how she is and I love that for her.

We also see pretty consistently how she handles conflict, or failing.

In season 1 she calls off ever seeing Jyushimatsu again because she has to go home, and you can tell it hurts her to just outright reject him like the that.

The fact that we possibly know her background also adds context to her decision.

It’s possible she just wants to get away from that industry and the people, maybe too many people know her from the porn dvds and she just needed a fresh start somewhere else. Maybe she felt like she was lying to Jyushimatsu because she couldn’t tell him all she’d done- who knows?

There’s a lot of ways you can look at it but I think most of all, the skit in season 2 could reshape how we looked at her reaction to conflict in season 1.

When faced with failure, Homura gives up.

She gave it her all, and it still didn’t happen. Homura is grounded in reality to an extent. While the Matsuno’s live by their own rules and do whatever they want- it feels like Homura found a way to work within the rules. To try everything she can, but not to exhaust herself with something that’s not baring fruits.

She doesn’t seem disappointed that Jyushimatsu will keep trying, she’s angry. Homura yells at him and calls him a block head because he’s being stubborn- but why try so hard to get him to give up when it’s his dream? Why does she want him to quit? He will continue with it without her so why?

There’s a possibly that she doesn’t want to see him hurt. Like season 1, Homura distances herself from Jyushimatsu specifically after he confesses.

We can assume it’s because she would be in a whole other city, and with the past attached to her, she didn’t want to hold him back. Either that, or she didn’t want to face rejection if things didn’t end up working out.

But I also think it’s important to note that Homura was moments away from ending her own life. In the end, she chooses to take herself to a familiar place rather than to attempt again- showing signs of gaining some perspective or some motivation to keep going.

My main take away from Homura as a character, and outside of her potential relationship with Jyushimatsu, is that Homura is a character ground in reality who is a little silly.

Homura takes things seriously, no matter how goofy they are (like wanting to be a dolphin- like an actual dolphin), but she also likes to laugh and have fun like everyone else.

Homura knows not to spend time on something that possibly won’t work out, and this could be because she’s been beaten down before and knows the prolonged pain of hope. She also has a past we know nothing about that could’ve shaped the person she is today.

Homura is a silly weird girl, but unfortunately life got to her first. That doesn’t stop her from being weird and silly though.

Was attempting a character analysis exercise on the 18 Matsu’s and then somewhere along the line I started losing my mind so I might make a full 18 Matsu analysis

Born for girlhood. Forced to be stupid guy.

A thought I have pretty often but don’t have the brain to properly express is the fact that between the Girlymatsu’s and the regular matsu’s the only one who doesn’t share her signature color with her counter part is Osoko.

Like obviously it’s in the back of her intro card, and it’s Osoko so we know red is supposed to be her color.

She wears red in all the added merch and bonus content too. Off the top of my head there’s the Jyushimatsu dolphin episode, Tabimatsu, and hesokuri wars. All of which she wears red unless it’s a special set or she changes back into her work uniform.

It could really be nothing, but it always kind of threw me off. All the other girls get their signature color, why not Osoko?

Even if it’s in a subtle way they could’ve done it. Like with the pine pattern on ichiko’s dress or Jyshiko’s bright blonde hair and colored contacts.

Osoko’s makeup is more pink than it is red. So where’d her red go? I had a few thoughts on this so I’m gonna spit some shit.

1. Shes trying to blend in

In the episode she’s introduced in, she gives this big talk about how woman are supposed to be. Being independent, knowing when not to let other men pay for you, being young and approachable. She says all this but so easily snaps the next second. My only guess for why she snaps so quick is because she does that with friends.

With her friends Osoko has no problems being angry, making faces, yelling at them, etc. We don’t know how she is outside of her friend group, but from the way she describes herself it doesn’t seem like she acts the same around everyone.

Osoko is a working woman, she has to be all those things to survive the work place. Bold, but not too bold. Red is a very bold color.

Red lipstick is mature, but it also might hint at promiscuity for some older folk and people who like to talk shit. Meanwhile pink is a more cuter and toned down version of red, that’s why Osoko wears it as makeup instead. She wants to come off as light and fun and cute when that’s not who she really is.

2. She wants to seem younger

It’s brought up a couple times and the show kind of hints at it, but Osoko and Karako are supposed to be the older so believe.

They dress more mature and scold the others for being immature, and the comment jyushiko makes about them being old and unable to have children looks like it seriously pisses them off.

Osoko talks about youth a lot in her first episode, especially about how it makes her seem cuter. You’d think it would be a Todoko thing, but Osoko mentions it more than once when she talks. Meaning being cute and young (compared to her older male coworkers) instead of being headstrong or beautiful, is important to her.

Karako wears red heals and red lipstick but I think that’s just her style. She is bold, her personality is loud and just like how Karamatsu likes wearing shades and leather jackets to seem like a cool guy, Karako probably wears red to show maturity and maybe even a bit of sensuality.

Meanwhile Osoko, who doesn’t like the fact that she’s getting older, wears a more youthful color. Being pink. Even putting it on her cheeks to add to the youthful look.

3. Identity crisis

Pretty much everyone knows about Osomatsu’s identity issues. He very obviously has no personality of his own and it shows- mainly in the fact that while everyone has their own casual outfits that show off their identity, Osomatsu still wears the family symbol on his plain red hoodie.

I don’t think the girlymatsu’s are supposed to be sisters, they call each other friends and have never been mentioned to be related. They are all very visually distinct from each other, and their personalities are on full display all the time in just how they dress.

There would be no need for the girlymatsu’s to wear distinct colors because there would be no need to differentiate them from each other.

The show does it anyway, obviously, because fuck it why not it’s cute- but again, Osoko doesn’t.

It could be because, like Osomatsu, Osoko has no idea who she truly is. She pours herself into this older sister persona to lure men in (her words), but she’s loud and crude and judgmental when separated from that.

Just like how Osomatsu makes his family his identity, I think Osoko makes work her identity. She wears her work clothes out and about, even when she’s on vacation. In season 2 when she dresses out of her wet suit she’s in her uniform again- and we know nothing about her personal life, not even in the small tidbits we get from the other characters.

I truly think identity issues is something every version of Osomatsu is faced with. Even if it’s not that, idk I just think it’s interesting. If you made it this far, kiss kiss.

Live laugh love Osoko.