Gay dudes


Is the guy in the suicide episode, Zebra, in a relationship with the guy who always follows (and nearly strangles) Tsukiko?

It's never made quite clear why he wants to die, but I'm guessing it's guilt about his sexuality.

Thoughts?

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No. The "guy who always follows & nearly strangles Tsukiko" is her boss. He's always following her around because he promised a client a new character design, and Tsukiko hasn't even begun working on it (a case of artist's block, I assumed), and the deadline is bearing down on them. He grabs her face in the car after driving her home from work (obviously in order to confront her about their dire situation) & vents his frustration on her because she basically made a fool of him - prior to that we see him sitting there facing the very irked-looking client, sweating bullets & smiling sheepishly, with nothing to show on the deadline. He gets a little too carried away, Tsukiko bolts from the car, he realizes he overdid it and apologizes profusely, then drives off. Next we hear his car crashing horribly. A little later on we see his funeral & Tsukiko sitting in the front row while her co-workers, who never really liked her in the first place, gossip about their boss' death & that he was so stressed out because Tsukiko wasn't producing work. Tsukiko's boss was clearly Japanese, and yes, he definitely seems gay.

The man we see snuggling with Zebra in the 2 pics inside Zebra's locket looks more like an American guy. He has a squarish face with light brown hair parted on the side. You're right, though, it is never elaborated on why Zebra wants to die (or any of them for that matter), but it is suggested that it has something to do with him being homosexual. Zebra seems to be 20-something...I kind of figured that maybe his lover had left him. If he simply felt guilty about being gay, he likely wouldn't have looked so happy in the pictures in the locket. It seemed like if he was wearing a locket like that, he probably had a fuller relationship invested with his partner rather than it just being mostly physical, so it would seem his deathwish had more to do with an emotional break-up.

Although, Zebra does seem awfully embarrassed when he lifts up Fuyubachi from the ground after Fuyubachi falls over, and the old man touches Zebra's hand and says, "mmmmm....so warm..." Zebra throws Fuyubachi forward & exclaims something like "don't say that, it's embarrassing!" so Zebra is awfully touchy when it comes to touching in public.

"If you just talk, I find that your mouth comes out with stuff." ~ Karl Pilkington

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Actually, you do later see Zebra's boyfriend. In episode 13, when you see the Yakuza guy in a hotel room before he is engulfed by the black goo, the other man on the bed asleep is Zebra's ex. So maybe a mob connection/cheating was part of the reason they broke up.

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