The Jukebox: The Body Is A Blade

TW// slight gore in this week’s comic (non-detailed wounds/guts)

Lyrics from “The Body is a Blade” by Japanese Breakfast. This is the song’s opening verse, a poetic self-reminder to make the best out of bad circumstances. The first two lines, “try not to get so righteous / about what’s fair for everyone” seems like the singer urging themselves not to get caught up in feeling angry at something that’s out of their control. I wanted to show this anger while the character bandages themself up, and even after doing so their wound is still leaking. The character feels hopeless hurt to the point of no return, like a gutted fish. Yet even in the mess caused by the wound they can still make something good out of it. I don’t think the song is saying to just ‘stop feeling bad’. Rather, I think it’s a gentle reminder to not get stuck in the cycle of anger/hatred, and channel something good rather than perpetuate the bad.