Beauty is a characteristic that is capable of captivating those who observe it. It is a manifestation of the splendor of being that can provoke satisfaction. Even if it is relative, what is beautiful tends to be contemplated. People who are blessed with this attribute are revered and exalted. It is following these aspects that the manga Kasane narrates the tragic journey of Kasane Fuchi.
Slightly inspired by the short story Kasanegafuchi (not to be confused with the movie Shinkei Kasanegafuchi), Daruma Matsuda has no intention of presenting a tale in the style of the Ugly Duckling. The author spares no effort in showing how Kasane is denigrated and inferiorized. At one point it is mentioned that the character's appearance can make the drink taste like shit.
If by one hand Daruma exposes the scorn suffered by the protagonist, he also takes the time to work on Kasane's personality. Presented as an aggressive, harsh, and dark person, obviously for her own good. In addition, the character's desires and ambitions are manifested distinctly and convincingly, and offer identity to Kasane.
Even though the manga has supernatural elements, they are not explained in depth. Even though they have significance for the plot, these components do not offer, at least in isolation, any charm to the narrative, and what is left to do this task are the protagonist's relationships and her psychology.
Although Kasane reminds me a bit of Tom Ripley (a character created by Patricia Highsmith, who can personify his victims), she is not some kind of sociopath. The protagonist initially uses invasive methods to steal faces, but with the appearance of Kingo Habuta (a prosaic and prominent figure in the story), the approach becomes more discreet.
Sometimes the exchange of faces between Kasane and the other person is at first a mutual benefit, since the individual has good looks but no acting talent, the opposite of the protagonist. However, the harmonious relationship becomes a dependency for both Kasane and the person involved.
Of the relationships between Kasene Fuchi and the other characters, the most intriguing is the one with Nogiku, who enters the scene to show a different side. She and Fuchi are like water and oil, yet they suffer from the same misfortune, the deprivation of the pleasures of life. But this occurs differently for each one.
However, Kasane's relationship is not limited to interaction with other characters. The theater is the main setting that appears in the course of the plot, and this has a direct influence on the protagonist's psychological state. The roles that Fuchi plays in the stage plays are connected to her emotional state. A notable example is in Macbeth, where she plays Lady Macbeth. In William Shakespeare's tragedy the Queen of Scots is tormented by hallucinations. Similarly, Kasane is afflicted by the ghosts of those she has usurped the face of.
Acting consists in giving life and reality to something or someone fictitious, and managing to convince the spectator that it is true. In this context, Matsuura's character does this task masterfully. Kasane Fuchi can convert the false into the real (and this is precisely her intention). By incorporating the face of another individual, she transforms herself into an entirely new being, and transmits the following thought: "Who really is Kasane? Who is the copy and who is the original?" .
It is in this moment of transformation that the character shows us a hypnotic facade full of presence, which at times, seems to create a kind of dialogue with the reader. "See how beautiful I am. But don't look deeply". Gradually the protagonist enters a state of self-rejection.
At a deeper look, the manga seems to allude to becoming (philosophy), which is about the process of effective change that every being goes through. The concept was introduced by Heraclitus of Ephesus in opposition to the state of permanence, postulating that everything is in constant change and transformation.
But the exact definition of the concept is far from unanimous, and over the decades various scholars have dealt with the concept of becoming. Friedrich Nietzsche, in his philosophy on the subject, observes the tension between opposing forces (hot-cold, day-night). The passage from one to the other is what is called becoming, and this occurs through the conflict relation between the opposites, because for one to prevail, the other must cease to exist.
In Kasane the struggle between opposites is present in many moments. What is beautiful and what is ugly, what is true and what is false, acceptance and rejection, happiness and sadness, what is apparent and what is hidden.
Kasane delivers the usual message that we must accept ourselves, but the way it is transmitted is quite unique. Even though she has a reprobable nature, the protagonist shows her moments of regret and sorrow. Although she does not reveal it, she always seems to be unhappy, because her happiness is purely illusory. Sometimes it becomes difficult to wish for the character's success or to expect her downfall, because in the end she is just someone who is haunted by her own desires.
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