I think Riou is a really tragic guy because his whole character is based on his desire to be of use to others. Even with the military, as much as I like his dynamic with his comrades and Kubiki, he's also seen as someone to be used as an asset rather than a person to be protected as well. It must've been torture how how his desire to be useful lead him to going MIA and staying isolated in the woods. He never had a friend that didn't evolve away from that "i need to assist them" dynamic until MTC. It must've been jarring for him.

Thats why i think the "do I look like a piece of shit to you" dialogue is so important to me. Riou just downplayed his need for help to Samatoki, saying that he doesn't need to help as it's his burden to bare, and Samatoki immediately shuts that down. His insistence that friends help each other out and that it would be a dick move to always take from Riou and never help in return was definitely a core moment, especially the reprise. "Tell me, Samatoki. Do I look like a piece of shit to you?" makes me crazy.

Thinking about him and MTC's dynamic only makes me sad about his past pre DRB but I'm glad it's gone away from him being alone by himself. I do wish we get backstory soon though...sighhh

I think MTC winning a DRB would be nice. It would be even nicer if they got to fight MTR again. Like the thought of them being so close to wining the first time, then losing so quickly the second time, it would be really cool if they made them fight again for redemption, sort of like what happened with FP and MTR. Also like...they're the only OG team to not win any sort of DRB (FP/MTR in the main series and BB in hypstage)

BAT also winning would be good. I actually wanted them to win for the 2nd DRB but i had also predicted that all the losers would win their first rounds so uhhhh....womp womp. Narratively, they don't have any hardcore reasons to win, but it would be really fun to hear a winner song from them.

?? Cigarette kisses irl are a common thing done by straight men...Samatoki does the cigarette kiss thing to the old guy in Rhyme Anima.

Actually, it's a fascinating thing as to why cigarette kisses are a common flag for subtle gay flagging. It's a product of the Hays code. It was used to allude to a romantic relationship in some instances, but it got past the censors due to how innocuous it was since it was a common thing. It's not that unbelievable to also put that logic into how Samatoki could feel about it. "I just needed a light, there's nothing more to it". You see what I mean?

A lot of things embedded into toxic masculinity also tie into internalized homophobia. When i said "he realized too late", I meant that in my reading of the manga, Samatoki interpreted his own romantic feelings for Sasara as just a deep friendship. This is done partially because he only expects tolerance from others (since again this was his first real connection that wasn't just family), but also because the thought of being into men is just out of the question.

He wouldn't respond in disgust if he were to think about the possibility while being friends with Sasara, but he would definitely jump back. It's a corny visual of him basically "no homo"ing his way out of the thought of possibly having feelings for Sasara, but the stigma is very much a real thing even among people who aren't homophobic about other people. This is why, for example, comphet exists.

"You don't know what you had until it's gone" is a common phrase for a reason. You don't realize how deeply you feel for someone until they suddenly leave your life. That is where Samatoki's realization after the fact comes in. Samatoki puts on a brave face but ends up in a deep slump because he realizes how much Sasara truly meant to him. He thought he was losing his best friend, but he ended up losing someone who he possibly could've had more with. That's my interpretation of it.

With that being said, my interpretation isn't the end all be all. Idk why your tone makes it think I'm shouting this out on the rooftops as 100% canon or something because all I said was that I think he's bi. Samatoki being only into men is just as valid of a hc, I just like him being bi personally. It's also weird to say "argue with the wall" when you're the one who is arguing. have a nice day! yay!!! i actually really liked writing about this!

i'm bi so its a given rule that all of the characters i kinned back when i was 15 are bi

serious answer: i dont see why him being bisexual negates the fact that he's still gay in the hc, you know? like..he still likes men, it's just not only men. i hc him as bi because in my head, him being into men was a realization later on in his life. it was a slow realization over multiple years. Like he realized he was too into Sasara the moment he was ripped from him but he burries it deep down. internalized homophobia can happen to bi men too 🫡

Also like none of the men besides Ramuda and Rei have any intimate experence with women (I don't count Ichiro because a crush doesn't count.) I think if you were to take any character's writing in isolation, they would all be gay. However, I find comfort with the bi hc more than the gay one. The gay hc makes total sense though. MTC as a division has a lot of nods to a lot of popular gay aesthetics. (particularly Jyuto and Riou) I think the label is just a matter of preference at a certain point. As of now, no one is 100% confirmed to be anything so I will hold my bi samatoki hc near my heart lolol