If you ask for a word, I'll give you a few series worth. The editorial starts now.
Bravery is in as Souboutei opens up this week. It was a series dearly missed by this blogger last week, but hey I had Karakuri Circus to keep me company so it wasn't all bad! On that note, comparing Rokuro to the likes of Masaru in Karakuri shows that they both have similar character arcs --going from sniveling zeros to heroes. I don't mean that in a disparaging way, since they're both young lads who go through unbelievable trauma to get to where they are now, and as such deserve a bit of a break, but man looking at the two of them as their stories unfold and they grow more resolute is such a gift. I also like that Rokuro started out this story seeking revenge but now stands up for everyone rather than himself --look as he rushes in to save the girls who are somehow in the Souboutei above.
Despite what I said above, I do think the chapter itself is establishing the difference between heroism and selfish self sacrifice. Throwing yourself in the jaws of danger seems brave enough, sure, but at the risk of sounding really corny, the bravest thing one can do is to think of a way to survive rather than sacrifice. Kaerikuro is once again about to throw herself at the enemy so the others will be able to escape, but Takoha chastises her for it --right before doing the same himself, hah. It still goes to reason that the two --Kaerikuro and Takoha really could stand to value themselves more. The latter's upbringing makes that difficult however as she's always been told her fair skin and white hair are "hideous" as pictured above. Takoha being the artist he is asks if he can draw her after they get out of this situation dispelling that misunderstanding right away. The chapter ends with Seiichi feeling like something is "off", and the teaser says that the mystery of that and Kaerikuro's upbringing will be linked, hmm...
I'm so glad the Ayla story from last week is still a topic for this week as well --I was thinking after that we'd head back to Xeno's POV for a while --which we do, but the pacing is handled with much more fidelity than I was expecting. Although Ayla has forsaken her assassin life, old habits die hard, and her body reacts like that of her former "occupation" as her would be killer points out. I'm hoping this leads to further development down the road, but for now Mai gets what he wants --Ayla's phone and makes a quick escape leaving her high and dry.
Meanwhile Shuji and Xeno have a little bit of down time as the former reminisces of growing up with Kai, and an incident where they found a cave with the "sacred heart". Shuji's older brother was often harsh to Kai who in turn (after finding the cave) says it's renumeration for 300 years of Kuga persecution. I like that Kai's backstory is being built through flashback, and that not all of it is inflammatory to his character. Sure it would have been easy enough to paint him as a super villain for the sake of the plot, but I think fleshing him out as multi-faceted will pay off more in the long run. It's much easier to want to know more about Kai when he's more than just a plot point, after all. It also humanizes the Kugas ever so slightly to find that Shuji isn't a jerk like the rest --at least for now.
The mystery itself deepens as the body count grows by one --just like we had been told. Except I don't think anyone was expecting Ayla's would-be-killer Mai to be the next to be murdered! Not only that but the flashback connects to the present as Ayla has found the very same cave Shuji mentioned in his story about Kai, except it's filled with machinery now and of course, Mai's corpse. Who would want him dead, and why? Even though there wasn't an immediate case to solve this week, Xeno still boldly steps forward showing that it has the ability to show off it's general intrigue along with the sleuthing.
Marry Grave is higher up than usual with a chapter that does quite a bit in it's runtime. The girl from last week still has no name, but her face and magical ability suggest that she can only be one person. Poor Sawyer is thrown off his game trying to figure out what he's seeing and I don't blame him! Who is she and why does she have such a grudge against him --something that's even weirder to consider if she is somehow related to his dead wife!
Misunderstandings aren't just for comedy manga anymore, hah. Turns out she wasn't talking to Sawyer last week, but a mimic monster that's apparently got her "treasure". She's got no idea who he is, and doesn't even really seem to notice him until way into the struggle. Unfortunately for him, the mimic takes a bite out of Jean and runs off, leaving Sawyer in the lurch --now he's gotta join in this skirmish whether he likes it or not. Of course finding out who this girl is and why she looks so similar to Rosalie is a high priority so I doubt he would have let things stand anyway. The girl --as far as he observes has a tough time controlling her magic, so that's a difference she has from Rosalie.
Sawyer makes a suggestion that will get her treasure and his fairy back, but then promptly gets eaten?! The chapter closes with him communicating with the girl --somehow and instructing her to open up the casket left behind. Although it's likely she's just caught up in the moment, I find it telling that the girl doesn't blink at Sawyer being killed right in front of her. Though I guess the setting of Marry Grave lends itself to this too...hmm. It was a pretty fast chapter all things considered, but I'm glad with both a color page and a set up chapter that it seems Yamaji is getting what he needs most --time.
I know the advert on the color page and on WSS's site said "final arc", but it really didn't hit me that Saike is ending until now. Though not quite in the way you'd think. See, I thought that Fukuchi was being given a final volume to wrap things up in and that would be that, but the pacing of this first chapter and the subject matter really do seem to suggest that Saike is really going to get a "final arc" in the sense of something that spans until the story has been told rather than being carted off in a short amount of time out of a sense of obligation. This excites me as what transpired this week feels like a natural progression of the series up until this point and way more than I thought we'd get out of the series. I'll stop baiting you and talk though, hah. Essentially the final "trial" of Saike Matashitemo is a natural disaster of which will eradicate humanity in three years time, and the only way to stop this is with the oracle holders. Apparently the very first oracle holder had the ability to sense this disaster coming and realized it would be people with powers like theirs that can prevent the end.
"Come and Save the world with me" Hizu says confidently. They'll need to gather at least 2 million people with abilities to seal off the volcano and save the world. It's a daunting task and even Saike doesn't believe he can do it, but Hizu replies that what they'll need is a strong leader and there's no one else he can think of who can pull it off. It's true, Saike has been in the leader's seat for a lot of the series due to his power being OP while simultaneously passive. I also really like that Fukuchi is able to properly tie together loose statements in the series into this conclusion. He's always been good at that --stuff said in volume one really does have a bearing here in the finale. It's been mentioned by several people throughout the series that while ability users --oracle holders have been around for a long time, their numbers have only begun to swell recently, and now it makes sense --they have to combat this event occurring in three years time. I don't know if Fukuchi planned things out like this, but he at least gave us proper heads up throughout the series which is something I really appreciate.
Of course it's a massive undertaking and they've only got three years to prepare --Saike's got two months left in middle school, and Hizu's willing to wait and provide his support afterward. I only glanced this over a little bit before I decided on what pics to choose, but now I'm even more excited. Assuming Shogakukan is giving Fukuchi his due diligence, this final arc could be a wonderful sendoff to the series, and the ending Fukuchi's deserved since Anagle was woefully slain. Why, depending on how this all goes, Saike could really find it's way into my personal best! I thought maybe we'd get a time skip, but it looks unlikely now --but I'm okay with this conclusion as well. It really does feel like this is a "final arc" rather than a "final volume" so here's to hoping Fukuchi can give it everything I know he has.
Memesis, Memesis, Memesis. What am I to do with you? Yagyuu's still telling the same joke and while if it were spread between chapters of combat and badassery I could mostly ignore it, having this two weeks in a row is a little much --especially with the series not exactly making sales records and thus needing all the time it can get to avoid having to rush to a conclusion. I mean on one hand I am relieved a bit --if Yagyuu has time to do this, then it's likely (but not assured) that he's not being forced to end Memesis any time soon, but when I have to ask myself if a chapter was really necessary, that's not a good thing at all. I kind of feel like Yagyuu feels entitled to stuff like this because Rose is a female character, and in a way I guess he is but...it doesn't change that telling the same joke repeatedly doesn't make it funnier. I will say that the end of the chapter does hint at something menacing coming this way, but it's gonna take a lot for Memesis to get out of this slump, which is a real shame.
I've been concerned with Evans place in the TOC for a while. Concerned, but not anxious since while the series is hanging out a little too close to what could be considered the incinerator, it's sales have been rising slightly with each passing volume, so it's unlikely the editorial department will let it go. Plus having Abby back has put me in a relatively good mood --yup, the assistant to the big guns in the government is back and she's being duped. Abby's just such a great character because unlike Evans and Pheebs she has absolutely no guile, and takes everything deadly serious. In a manga like this where misunderstandings are it's lifeblood this can only lead to some hilarious results. This week Evans is on the trail of "Blabber mouth" Greta (Kuriyama's somewhat tenuous grasp on English strikes again as it's written "Big Mouth", but the Japanese suggests one who talks a lot rather than having a rather large pie-hole, though Greta has that too.) Greta knows she's in trouble and tries to talk her way out of it by tossing out the little known fact that Evans only became a Sheriff to be popular --suggesting the law was maybe only in the top five of priorities (if even that.)
It's hard to tell whether Greta's gift of gab is the real deal or if she's just great at reading people, but even Abby admits her fortunetelling abilities are pretty legit --and she goads Evans by saying she can tell him who he's fated to be with. Kurt in a flashback says it never hurts to listen to fortunes, but it's actually up to the listener to decide whether they want to believe them or not which is...pretty sage advice actually. Greta says he'll have water spilled on him by his fated person, and Evans is at a loss since there's no way to prove she's right. Luckily Ted comes in with the proof they need to bust Greta, (and it's great that the narration indicates that Ted is actually the most capable one here), and it seems to be case closed....until later where Evans is talking with Pheebs at a bar where she accidentally drops water on him.
Hmm....
Birdmen's chapter moves by briskly this month, going from one plot point to another rather fast. I guess it's the benefit of having more pages to work with, but it does seem a little jarring when Tanabe's strength is how meticulously she takes her time developing characters and scenarios. That's not to say that this chapter was a dud or anything, just we zipped on by and I wasn't expecting that. The woman the group met last chapter doesn't have a name, and is apparently simply called "God" by the people of which revere her, and as such she considers everyone to be her "children". So ultimately she's not really Takayama's mom, but she is super complex and hard to talk to, as Karasuma notes.
But yeah we're quickly on to the next plot point which sees the return of the fallen American "branch". Now of course you'd really have to read up on Birdmen to get why this is significant, and I can't possibly provide all of the details here, but it is an important development. Plus this set of characters probably has the most tragic and interesting story in the entire series (in my humble opinion of course.) There's still a small gap of chapters I haven't quite read, but I'm much looking forward to the day that they meet the Japanese protagonists we've been behind since day one.
Probably the most significant thing to happen this week is that these Bird-people in particular reveal that they have no interest in humans and their interests are in something "higher". Robin who was once a sweet girl has taken the monkier "queen" and now seeks destruction. It's your classic Shounen path of darkness, but what makes it interesting in Birdmen's case is right now the heroes aren't all that much different, so it's almost like a race to see who can do bad (or good) first that keeps the narrative gripping. I'm glad to see them back, even though now I'm wondering whether we're going to get that showdown sooner rather than later...
At least for now, it seems master is staying alive thank goodness! Though the important takeaway from this week's Youkai Giga is that it seems he can finally see Kuro! Or well to be more exact, he can see Kuro again. Maybe. The end of the chapter doesn't make that clear, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's a fake out of some kind much like Yamaji did with Marry Grave this week, but for now let's hope for the best. There's not much for me to comment on here since the entire chapter is the aftermath of the train accident and the rescue of the people on board, but this development is one I can definetly get behind, even if it only hastens my worry for master as the story goes forth.
And that's it for this week's editorial! It was a pretty lighting fast week of chapters but a great set nonetheless. If you enjoyed what you read (and I hope you did) leave me a comment or/and share with friends! Until the next Sunday(s) take care!
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