Celebrating and Questioning Hikigaya Hachiman’s Ninja Way
At first, Hikigaya Hachiman might view human life as an anarchy life system. A system in which humans are forced to survive by any means regardless of whether it is conventional or not.
Homo homini lupus: an ancient Latin phrase which explains that man is a wolf to another man. So that it is clear from the phrase why humans force themselves to be pragmatic: those who only pursue interests and results, without seeing the cause or effect that will occur.
To be able to survive in the conflictual system of anarchy world, humans seek any means to survive. Either in a way that will hurt themselves or in a way that hurts others. It doesn’t matter who is hurt and it doesn’t matter who is harmed, the most important thing is that the main goal is achieved, namely: being able to survive.
Human life filled with motives, intrigue, friction, and defrauding; that was what Hikigaya Hachiman initially believed, which made him isolated himself from society.
There are no genuinely good human beings, but there are only scheming humans kind. Hachiman realized that when he was still in junior high school. When every student in his class avoids Hachiman, there is a girl who turns out to be nice to him. However, being kind is the demand for social norms to maintain an image. People are kind because they want to achieve their interests even though they have to be hypocrites. Hachiman, who realized that after going through the dark age of his middle school era, finally took the principle: that good human beings are just an illusion, they are not real.
For Hachiman, trust is an expensive thing in anarchy human structure. Hachiman views being skeptical as the only option if he doesn’t want to get caught up in the tricks of interest of other humans.
Passing through the first grade of high school in a skeptical manner, Hachiman is in a solitary situation that looks harmonious but tragic. Before he finally was met by Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui at the Volunteer Club. Where because of that situation later, the principle of pessimism towards humanity contained in Hikigaya Hachiman is increasingly fading.
When youths are faced with two difficult choices to choose between the luxury of idealism or the advantages of pragmatism, Hikigaya Hachiman rejected both sides and tried to finds his own way. Become a person who accepts fate, maintains the status quo, and resists change. Hikigaya Hachiman finally chose to become a fatalist who was reluctant to find a way out of his problem.
As a person who accepts his fate, Hachiman has a principle in dealing with problems with magical hands: by solving each problem with his own way. However, even if the problem is resolved and the situation getting normal, he must sacrifice himself because of the way he resolved the problem actually creates a bad impression on him. So that the choice of attitude like that was opposed by Yukino and Yui.
Hachiman, as a true fatalist, believed that being hurt and getting hurt was a fate he had to accept. Therefore, non-conventional methods like what he does are considered normal as long as the problem is resolved even though he must be willing to pay a high price.
However, despite all that, Hikigaya Hachiman as a person with a fatalist personality who does not want to change his destiny still cannot deny a fact.
The fact is when Hachiman stepped forward and sacrificed himself in a problem. Actually, there are people close to him who also feel hurt by what he did. And this is what Hikigaya Hachiman has always denied. Hachiman always excuses the facts and denies any self-cornering his reality.
Regardless he has a high interest in politics so he can understand the skills of politicians in quibbling. But it was his choice to excuse and denied things that put him in a big dilemma. Because in the end, the real fact that is contained in Hachiman is not his fatalistic attitude which makes him sacrifice himself for others, but because of a caring attitude towards the people around him. However, again and again, Hikigaya Hachiman denied and argued against his true feelings.
Hachiman’s severe mistake in sticking to his principles was feeling comfortable in the relationship he formed with both Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui. It was that relationship that made his ancient stance fall and change Hachiman as a better person.
Because after all, the comfort they formed made Hachiman feel comfortable with the situation. So that he realized this kind of relationship must be maintained. That the real justification for why Hachiman insisted on seeking genuine things so that this relationship would continue was his fear that one day he would lose those two girls (Yukino and Yui).
Hachiman may still be arguing, he may still be denying his genuine feelings. However, one-day Hikigaya Hachiman will not persistently endure falsehoods to cover up those feelings that he keeps carefully in the deepest recesses of his heart.
Yukinoshita Haruno’s prediction that Hachiman won’t get drunk will come true someday. Because this prediction is a form of Haruno’s criticism of Hachiman who is already lax in holding to the principles he previously held. So that he is lulled into the relationship he is experiencing at the Volunteer Club and has the desire to maintain that relationship.
Not being able to get drunk means not being able to cover himself up against the genuine things he wants. In another sense, it is no longer possible to cover himself with a face full of lies. Unlike Haruno who will always wear a mask, Hachiman will someday take off his mask for the genuine thing he is looking for.
One day, Hikigaya Hachiman will show his true feelings by going against the grain and eat his words: that human relations which once he considered useless, is something that he insists on striving for now.
This article was first published in Nawala Karsa with Bahasa
