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A thread of appreciation of Tsutsujimori Rosho, who’s an underrated character, and maybe was designed to be, but that’s why he’s so good (imo)
First warning that this is all written by my own subjective opinion, and there will be a lot of (imo) (at least in my perception) etc because I tend to want to reconfirm that. A lot :’)
Manga captures will be taken from scanlations provided so kindly by Slug and team!
Manga captures will be taken from scanlations provided so kindly by Slug and team!
I said it before, but Rosho is a total ordinary person –we were given a very clear description of his family background and what most likely was his childhood (family of teachers, very strict by pushing him to study, he rebelled out when he’s teenager by being sort of punk).
He then pursued his dream, and was making a comedic duo with one genius Sasara Nurude, who then made Rosho felt like he’s nothing compared to his partner. He then proceed to put a lot of burden into himself to have to catch him up—
finding out that he’s indeed won’t ever be able to, and with all the guilt of ‘I will just drag him down’ and ‘I’m not suit to be be his partner’ and ‘I can’t do even a thing if it’s not because of him’, he decided to leave the team.
At this point, I just want to mention how his struggles so far was very ordinary compared to other Hypmic characters. He’s not an escape son from the current prime minister, or a orphans with missing father--
whose apparently an ex-military scientist who created clones to be used by government to run their missions, not a yakuza who has to witnessed his mother murdered his father before killing herself and now missing his little sister whose brainwashed by the gov. mentioned, etc 
He’s simply a man who once has a dream, then got it all shattered by his own self-doubt and insecurities. And isn’t that the most common situation might happened, or maybe our most relatable fear?
That is why, maybe, he’s really not that sticking out between those characters with tragic pasts (and very flashy occupations, too). But another big thing shadowing him is still his ex-partner and currently his own leader, Sasara.
By the writing, Rosho was put in the story for Sasara. If it’s not enough with his solo song Own Stage, we also got the 10.31 clock in his speaker, and his color of eyes which is orange and green (Sasara’s default wardrobe color combination).
He was undoubtedly created not to be a whole character by his own, but most of it was to be something from Sasara’s past. His past conflict existed because of Sasara, he’s now rapping because he’s dragged to it by Sasara.
In story making wise, Rosho is a sort of badly-designed character, because he’s there for other characters, instead of being there to make his own role to the story.
While we’re talking about badly-designer character, there’s worse case of this in Hypmic story IMO, that is Jinguji Jakurai, who has no internal struggles if it’s not for bumping to one Amemura Ramuda in his life. (Please note the IMO, don't come at me JJ's fans)
All Jakurai’s problems are outward –his inside was very straight-forward, very true and very correct. He probably was designed that way, and while I’m thinking about how it’s really unsettling, many people actually love him, so it could be just me.
Anyway, we talk about Jakuria because it’s a good case to compare to Rosho. While Jakurai was build for his own role in the story, but lack of internal struggles, Rosho is the complete opposite –he’s full of it, even tho he’s practically thrown in the story for Sasara’s benefit.
Internal struggles are what make readers usually got really bonded to the characters. I guess it might not working that well for Rosho tho, probably with what mentioned above that his problem is already too small compared to other characters,
and seeing how he’s not that popular even now (afaik). BUT, it really did it for me, at least. The one biggest thing of why I love Rosho is his ordinary-ty out of all. He’s really just an ordinary person with relatable problems who’s then pulled into a crazy situation.
The way he’s not sticking out, the way he’s not being in the highlight for most of the times, I could argue that it is the best thing about him. Don’t we all always love some wall-flower in the party?
Interestingly, we actually also have a character supposed to be a representative of ordinary people, who’s Doppo. And he’s super super popular. But what Doppo has but Rosho doesn’t is the gimmick.
Doppo with his berserk tendency in his songs (and battle) is not just relatable to readers who might have same suppressed feelings in their daily lives, but also very funny.
Other than that, there is this ONE most important thing, and a thing I love the most about Rosho. Back to what happened after his duo with Sasara broke, it was not told yet how but he finally become a teacher, like what his strict parents always wanted him to do.
He actually dream to become a comedian, he rebelled out when he’s a teenager because that time, the last thing he want to do with his life is to be a teacher like what his parents wanted--
but in the end, he has to finally settle down with a job his always try to avoid to do with his life. And this is where it’s getting even better about Rosho, for me.
So we know now that he’s a teacher. And he’s described as a good teacher, but how good he’s actually is? Let’s do some digging to the Aikata Back Again drama track, where his occupation was firstly described and shown.
The little commentaries by his student when he’s teaching horribly in front of class tried to show a situation that he’s indeed loved by lots of his students. Their little ‘He’s really different in class and outside class’ ‘But that’s the good thing about him’...
...pursued another fact that, how he created a good bond with his students even though he hardly teaching very properly in front of class, means a lot of communications and connections he made outside contribute mostly for that.
That means that he’s not just a teacher who leave all the students problems as he leave the class, but maybe actually helping them deal with daily lives struggles and so on. We have so much more abt it by a conv of him with a girl student whose talent scouted by Rei (as a scam):
(1) His student told him about a part time job she’s not supposed to be doing bcs it’s against school rules. He’s really being seen as a flexible and cool teacher that actually allows some rules breaking as long as it’s not harmful.
(2) His answer of “Isn’t being a talent something you always want?” means he already knew the dream of this student of him from way before. And it’s probably not just hers, too.
(3) His student actually asked him to meet the talent scout instead of depending to his strict parents. He’s a figure taken as a reliable mentor for some kids whose can’t really talk about their stuffs with their family.
(4) Seeing how it’s her big dream, she actually also trust Rosho to make decision about the path to her future. It’s a really, really huge trust, that you can only ask to a person whose you’re sure will always want the best for you.
So he’s not just a good teacher, he’s actually being seen as mentor, guardian and an adult to rely on by his teenage students….... who might not existed for him when he’s in that age and that’s why he probably wanted to be one.
This part is an extension of my own personal thoughts, but I insisted it could also be seen that way, with his long exert in protecting his student’s dreams, and the way he got so angry at Rei when he found out Rei was indeed scamming her.
He might think about ‘if I have a mentor to rely on that I can talk about that time, maybe the duo doesn’t have to end that way’, and are willing to be one for others :')
And this is the best thing about Rosho out of all. He gave up his dream, and now doing a job he never wanted when he was young, he can be a shitty teacher who grumbles when he enter classroom and belittling his students high dreams because he experience itself,
how it took so much more to reach those dreams than just by dreaming about it, and how that even if you’re giving all your efforts, there’re some geniuses who might be will be able to beat with you without batting an eye. BUT HE DOESN’T DO IT. HE DECIDED TO NOT TO.
HE WILLINGLY, AND VERY MINDFULLY, DECIDED TO BE THE ONE WHO HELP THEM ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS INSTEAD. BECAUSE HE HAD TO GIVE UP HIS OWN, AND HE DIDN’T WANT OTHERS TO, SO HE’LL BE THE ONE ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORTING THEM ALL HIS CAN.
Rosho learned from his past failure, he didn’t resign to self-hate, he didn’t resign to blaming others, he didn’t even come to hate Sasara. He decided to make use of his past problem as a fuel to help others ;___;
And, another another best best thing about him, he’s NOW TRYING AGAIN. After now he’s maturing up, and resolving his feeling more about his own insecurities, he decided to want to try to chase a dream again, to climb the top with his partner(s).
(Above is a small conversation in Naniwa☆ParadiShu song, new DH song from manga bonus. Translation by MC_Kranke)
So, Rosho was probably really written to be a side, an ordinary, and most likely not on the spotlight (just like moon to the sun… ah fuck, I have so much feelings…), but it’s just lots and lots of gift to reveal when you try to dig him deeper--
he’s such a wholesome, heart-warming, and hard worker character we all needed more in real life too, honestly. Thank you for reading until the end 
(Now need to get back to work...)
(Now need to get back to work...)
(As a bonus, may I mention how I love that Rosho widely depicted (in fanworks at least) as a type to go with fists first rather than using his mic. He’s lit just dragged to this whole rap battle bullshit because he care about Sasara so much--
but inside, he still thinks KO-ing people by knuckles are still the most valid way to knock some senses to their heads. I love. Him.)
