I think when people struggle with the logic in Eccentric Family, they are struggling with the quirkiness of some elements of magic realism fundamentally. The problem is, you can't think of these things as how humans in normal society relate to things. There are different rules, different values, and that alters the psychology. Tanuki don't want to be eaten, but they accept that it is a risk they take by coexisting in the world on this level. If they wanted they could move to some remote place with no humans and just live there. But they clearly enjoy the quasi-human lifestyle. They have magical powers and whatnot, so why do they allow humans to lord over them? They don't. They don't see it as lording over them, merely a difference in values. Some humans want to eat Tanuki, and they're not going to lobby against that. Should they? Could they? Maybe. That could be another story if a Tanuki ever gets that idea and acts on it. But I think one of the most interesting aspects is that the magic layer leverages on the Tanuki powers to mimic. This is important because it indicates that they are not creative or inventive by nature but adaptive and reactive in nature. Which means if they see something cool that they like, they partake in it by copying those who enjoy the same thing, but they don't seem to come up with original things on their own. In that sense, they need humans because these Tanuki enjoy the lifestyles they do because humans invented it. Without us there would be no cities, no houses, no clothing, no buses, no trains, no fireworks, no pagodas.
To us as humans, accepting that one is part of a food chain and that being eaten by something which can communicate with you intelligently, is nihilistic. To them, fun things are fun watch out don't get captured if you are going out to enjoy the human world, if you do too bad so sad. That's also not to say there is no agency. If they KNOW someone is captured or in danger and they can help, of course they might try. But after the fact if the person is eaten, well, like I said, they just get over it. Too bad so sad, but fun things are fun. I don't find it hard to accept or contradictory. It's just weird and alien but played for laughs in light hearted ways. Some of it might seem unusually cruel but... this is not our world and they don't share our values. They only coexist with us because they find our ways fascinating and way to copy them superficially.
To us as humans, accepting that one is part of a food chain and that being eaten by something which can communicate with you intelligently, is nihilistic. To them, fun things are fun watch out don't get captured if you are going out to enjoy the human world, if you do too bad so sad. That's also not to say there is no agency. If they KNOW someone is captured or in danger and they can help, of course they might try. But after the fact if the person is eaten, well, like I said, they just get over it. Too bad so sad, but fun things are fun. I don't find it hard to accept or contradictory. It's just weird and alien but played for laughs in light hearted ways. Some of it might seem unusually cruel but... this is not our world and they don't share our values. They only coexist with us because they find our ways fascinating and way to copy them superficially.
