This is what I've been eagerly waiting for almost a year: Proof that Hikaru is invested in the project. I wrote several essays from multiple angles to solidify this premonition in accordance to the source material as presented to us, but now we got first major confirmations by Aka.
The latest of these angles I took was exactly about his involvement in the movie production. My call was, that his own production company would become a subcontractor to the master contractor who is producing the movie. Aka gave us alot of information about the organisational structure in movie maker, that I sumed up in a graphic
in this essay, followed by my conclusions. But I will sum it up now here again and discuss the content with what we got in this new chapter. Does it hold up?
By Kaburagi's words he is a sponsor. This can mean many things. It can mean that he pays for the production, it can also mean that he lets his company help with the production of the movie for free. Either way I worte in that essay: “Eikyo Co. Ltd will pay all advertising expenses but Kaburagi and Gotanda need to stem all the production costs themselves” and that was the sole reason for them to go out and look for sponsors (you might recall the chapters that were dedicated for the search of sponsors). These sponsors form the so called “production committee” and are in charge in hiring and paying the master contractor for the production (who in return outsources competency to subcontractors, smaller studios basically). So, again, it's possible that Hikaru is involved in both the production committee but is also contracted (basically contracted himself through his own assets) to help with the production of the movie, since he owns a production company himself (Kamiki Productions, as Akane researched in her detective work). If this really applies to Hikaru is of course questionable, so we don't know for sure if his production company is really involved. But I will go with that assumption, because Hikaru has in my eyes a particular reason to be involved with the project. Just paying money is too passive, in my headcanon he was always after his special interest and manipulated the plot already in many ways to get where he want it to be. I think, he wants some control and influence over the movie. But not to save his ass, but for some other, deeper and hidden reasons.
In that essay I said, that since the production committee is handling it, there is a high chance that Gotanda and Aqua are actually not aware who they are hiring and who is helping with the production (esepcially subcontractors are probably more or less anonymious until they pop out in the end credits of the movie), which could later in the plot make up a huge plot twist when it turns out that the movie is compromised or even manipulated by the culprit himself. Now, it's obvious that Kaburagi has his little secrecy going on with Hikaru. I don't think that Gotanda and Aqua are actually aware of this meeting and the connection, which means that this theory also is still in the race. Hikaru is planing something huge with the movie and they will absolutely not expect that. And Kaburagi was probably fooled by Hikaru, since he is actually suprised that he came forward as a sponsor. Since Kaburagi is a producer and Gotanda and Aqua more on the creative side on the actual filmset, I'd assume that Kaburagi could indeed use Kamiki's production company for help. That's really unethical. But he takes his money anway, so it seems ethics isn't exactly on his mind... We will talk about that bit later again.
So, just wanted to let this new chapter's info drop sink in. It's not coming from nowhere. There were numerous hints, that this could happen and it finally happened.
Of course, I didn't come up from nowhere with this theory. I was just looking at Hikaru – as said in the beginning – very closely and made up all kinds of Theories about him, which in my view become more and more true, as time passes by.
My most conclusive and indepth analysis that tries to work out Hikaru's involvement in the entire narrative since Chapter 1 I wrote down in an essay, which perhaps might become – or at least I hope so – key material for the future plot development. It's titled
“The Meaning of White Roses”... of course in this last new Hikaru Kamiki panel we got again white roses on his table...
As I said here earlier, Hikaru is planing something huge with the movie. In my headcanon because he is basically planing something huge since chapter 1. Since he got Gorou killed, which wasn't an accident (which I also proved in my essays). This was always my main premise for the entire plot analysis: That Hikaru was never just a passive villain who needs to be found, exposed and convicted, but that he was basically always to some degree in charge, knew about every step Aqua and co. took and even coordinated alot of them himself (including getting Akane and Aqua to LoveNow with the expecation of Akane to study Ai's role and later convinced Kindaichi to pair them in Tokyo Blade, where Aqua's occupation with Ai was the key driver to maserfully deliver what his role asked from him) and is probably invovled with the supernatural too. Now with his "indebtness" towards Kaburagi there are multiple ways to analysis it in accordance to my theory. He's either indebt because he asked Kaburagi to look after Aqua and help him to get famous or he is indebt because Kaburagi didn't tell Aqua right away who his father was but spoke to Hikaru first. When Kana proposed Aqua for Sweet Today and Kaburagi looked at his picture - that could have been the timeline where he reached out to Hikaru and asked how to handle the situation.
"Boy A"
Last but not least let me add what to my understanding Kaburagi means with "Boy A". He is basically warning him, that if the main villain/culprit of the movie doesn't have a real name but is just called “Boy” then it's obvious that he who didn't gave permission for his name is probably guilty. Where is smoke there is fire, so to speak. Moreso as a result of the social phenomenon that Gotanda and co. envisioned there will be social outrage and the demand of the public to reveal the identity of the culprit. Kaburagi is warning him, that he might get doxxed which will ruin his public persona forever and asks if he understands the danger. He's basically wondering; “Why do you sponsor this movie, if this movie is literally public suicid?” And of course Hikaru understands it.. It's part of his plan too...
So, Kaburagi takes his money. The man, who is aware about what Hikaru did... That's really weird. It can almost be seen as a setup by Aqua. But the specific dialog between them kinda excludes this possibility. Kaburagi says he is actually suprised that Hikaru wants to help. It seems that Hikaru himself came forward with that proposal. They both know what's going on. They both understand what this movie is about, so it's unlikely that Kaburagi would just go to Hikaru and ask for money, since it's completely unreasonable to expect Hikaru's compliance. Kaburagi was suprised because you'd expect Hikaru to be the least person who has interest for the movie to succeed, yet he is involving himself actively and with a smile on his face. And Kaburagi, who – as we learn – is running a tight budget, thinks it won't hurt to have some extra cash or production help. And this is also something I figured out in my essay. Hikaru is trying to make this movie a success since the project got started. He killed for example Yura because she was essentially in Ruby's way to get the role. He texted Frill and provoked her to root for Ruby in an inofficial auditon so that Akane would decline the role offer. There is a looong history of Hikaru's involvement in the movie. I explain all that in detail and with really good evidence from the source material in that very same "Meaning of White Roses" essay.
Thanks for reading.
, her best acting performance yet, and you could clearly see the difference in her ability over Ruby's.
