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I think every Gaichuu named in the Manga wears the name of an alcoholic
beverage:

  * Cabernet -> Wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
  * Absinthe -> Strong Liquor
  * Cider -> Applewine
  * Daikiri (or Daiquiri) -> Rum-based cocktail

and some more...

Is there an in-canon reason to name the "Heart"-eating bugs after Alcoholic
beverages?


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2015-08-14T12:40:00.937
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2017-06-09T02:57:08.633
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question
tegami-bachi
Why are the Gaichuu alcoholic?


I'm not sure an in-universe answer is ever directly stated. If there is one,
it would probably be in one of the Doctor Thunderland segments at the end of
each volume. I only have volumes 14, 15, and 16 at present, but if I get the
chance, I'll review the others.

That being said, I can think of a reason that the Gaichuu would be named after
alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is a depressant. This means it slows down your
body and brain. The [wikipedia page for
alcohol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_drink) lists lethargy as a
possible symptom for drinking alcohol. This is similar to a battle with a
Gaichuu: A letter bee will fire off fragments of their heart to defeat it. The
weariness they experience would be comparable to the effects depressants
cause. They would both cause some loss of feeling and thinking. [The wikipedia
page for depressants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depressant) lists one of
the effects of depressants as being memory impairment, similar to how a bee
could lose memories if they fire their shindan too much. Firing too many
shindans and drinking too much alcohol can also both cause loss of
consciousness.

So, letter bees might have seen the similarity between battling gaichuu and
battling alcohol and named the gaichuu accordingly.

I'd like to point out a relevant passage from Dr. Thunderland at the end of
volume 16:

> To be honest, in the last volume I prudently resolved to stop sulking about
> my continued failure to appear in this story. But before I knew it I found
> myself drowning my sorrow in booze from the stress of being prudent. I'd get
> up in the morning and have breakfast and beer. At noon it was lunch and
> draft beer. My afternoon snack was a tequila. With dinner I'd have wine and
> sake. After dinner I'd have shochu and a whiskey nightcap. After using the
> bathroom I did shots of alcohol hand sanitizer...  
>  
>  Incidentally, I lose my memory when I drink too much. I hypothesize that
> the drinking is causing my brain to shrink. I wonder if it's something like
> What-chamacallit for Algernon. But they do say, "Ignorance is bliss." Still,
> my life has been a mess lately. I wonder why. Oh, right, because of the
> drinking... heh heh heh...

Here, Dr. Thunderland specifically mentions the memory-loss properties of
alcohol. And from an out of universe perspective, Dr. Thunderland's article
conveys that the author has some kind of interest in alcoholic beverages and
drunkenness (the references to different kinds of alcohol are particularly
interesting). I admit it might be a little presumptuous for me to assume so
since drunken characters are a common gag.


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2017-06-09T02:57:08.633
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answer