KHR 326
THIS CHAPTER HAS A YAMAMOTO FIGHT!! *_*
1. YAMAMOTO YOUR COAT WAS GREEN??? Man, this new generation of shounen heroes doesn't know how to color code for diddly squat.
Not much else to say about the cover page, aside from the fact that I really think Amano's gotten out of practice drawing Yamamoto; his eyes look too Gokuderaish. (I know, you're all like, "too Gokuderaish? MAKESTE IS THERE EVEN SUCH A THING", but you know what I mean, don't you? Compare the art in this chapter to previous Yamamoto-centric chapters and I'm telling you, there is a difference. Not sure yet whether it's a bad thing, but it struck me regardless, SO YOU'RE ALL JUST GOING TO HAVE TO PUT UP WITH MY RANT ABOUT IT, I'm sorry.
Spade's scythe, which had previously failed to make much of an impression on me, is also looking mighty badass in this shot, I must say.
2. Man, Kaoru! Just look at this guy sob away! But, since Yamamoto forgave you, I can now do so too! BE GRATEFUL YOU HAVE SUCH A MAGNANIMOUS FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES.
And damn you, Reborn's hat, stop hiding Gokudera's face! I actually spoiled myself with the Chinese scan of this chapter earlier just so I could see if there were any good Gokudera reaction faces. AND I WAS DISAPPOINTED. AMANO WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME ANYMORE.
Lol though at Yama totally sidestepping that question that is obviously on everyone's mind: "HOW THE FUCK DID YOU...?!" He's all, "LOOK WHO'S TALKING", which is a fair point, but dammit, we want answers!
3. I mostly stayed out of this debate last week (in large part because I was totally absent last week, haha sob fail XD), but I gotta say, the fact that Byakuran was the one who saved Yama for whatever reason actually doesn't bother me much. I know, obviously he is a former Big Bad and they're not the type to go around saving fallen Rain Guardians with no ulterior motives, but hear me out!
- Former villains returning in the next arc to help our intrepid heroes for some glossed-over reason is a time-honored shounen tradition, and if Xanxus and Mukuro don't need any logical reason to switch sides, I don't see why Byakuran would.
- Still, here's my best attempt: Byakuran was never really hardcore evil so much as he was completely looney tunes. In it for the lulz, until Tsuna finally stopped him. So him helping the good guys out, while decidedly odd, isn't necessarily "OH MY GOD THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN, SOMETHING HAS TO BE AFOOT" odd. There could be any number of reasons: the Vongola could have made a deal with him (the Primos did seem to know something about what was happening at the hospital); he could have had a complete and total change of heart (this is an alternate TYE!version of him, so it's possible, though unlikely); or hell, he could still just be doing it for the lulz, only this time he found it more entertaining to help the Vongola out because the whole Vongola/Simon conflict is amusing. Or maybe he just got pissed that Spade was trying to out-dick him.
- Yamamoto does not seem to be acting even remotely suspicious to me. Even his unwillingness to reveal the source of his miracle cure isn't necessarily out of character; we know the guy can keep a secret when pressed. (Bastard still hasn't told us what's up with the Arcobaleno. One day, Yama. ONE DAY.)
4. Right now, we should all be focused on more important things, like how incredibly fucking hot Yamamoto looks with his shiny new Vongola gear, and oh my God. OH MY GOD.
QUICK THINGS ABOUT THIS PAGE (I swear this review is going to have like a million bullet lists. I'M SORRY, I'LL TRY TO KEEP THEM TO A MINIMUM, BUT):
- "IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I'VE GOTTEN THIS EXCITED OVER A FIGHT!" ME TOO, BUDDY. ME TOO.
- I LIKE THAT GOKUDERA PAYS ATTENTION. Or maybe he was just as curious as I was to know what Yamamoto's VG was going to be. (So I guess Talbot must've paid him a visit too, then. Talbot, Byakuran, and Yamamoto... I would have paid so much money to have seen that.)
- HIBIRD IS STILL ROCKING THE LIL POMP. I LOVE LIFE.
- THEY DON'T EVEN TRY TO MAN UP THE NAME AND CALL IT A "PENDANT" OR ANYTHING. THEY KNOW THEY AIN'T FOOLING NOBODY.
- IT'S A LITTLE SWORD!! Socute. *_* I WANT IIIIIT
- And maybe she hasn't forgotten how to draw him after all. Holy shit.
5. RAIN POWER, MAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUUP
SAMURAIMOTO LOOKS LIKE A BLEACH CHARACTER WHO STOLE THE HAIR FROM A DBZ CHARACTER. TEEHEE.
That said, it's pretty badass! Except that "two sword style" means that unless I miss my mark, like Gokudera's VG transformation before it, it is actually a downgrade. AMANO, WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT, FOR SERIOUS. Come on now.
6. Oh, Spade, you keep tossing those cliches at him, bro. "Playing with the big boys", lolwut. Though it might interest you to know that he's actually one of the few characters who's messed around with misty-mist types and come out the victor. You know that Genkishi guy? You and him should talk sometime.
Kaoru, what? It seems like the only two things you are good for are stabbing people and amassing vast quantities of damage! Sit down and chill out for goodness's sake; if you die apparently Yamamoto will be sad because he is the WORLD'S NICEST PERSON. And, you know, we don't want that.
7. "What are you doing, Vindice?!" A QUESTION FOR THE AGES, ADELHEID. First of all, by now it's pretty clear that the Vongola and Simon families aren't even each other's enemies, and probably never were, so this whole pride duel thing was pointless to begin with. And second, they are totally just making up the rules at they go at this point.
That said, I won't deny that they're capable of some shockingly devastating one-liners. Am I the only one who read that line about Kaoru and went, "oh, buuuuuurn"? Probably. XD
8. Anyway, I still think they're full of shit and just wanted to get the fifth flashback over and done with already. Well, Vindice, that's one thing you and I can agree on, at least! Hell, even Reborn's just about ready to break out the popcorn. They're all loving this.
Two side notes: 1) On a scale of one to ten, one being evilly calm and collected and ten being totally batfuck insane, Spade went from zero to twenty in a remarkably short span of time. And 2), damn but it hurts to see Ryohei take Yamamoto's place being the one in-a-comaed. PAGE THIRTEEN, WHY MUST YOU MAKE ME SO SAD. T_T
9. Spade, you make me wish epaulets would come back in style. You and your army of Zelda clones from Twilight Princess certainly appear to be up to no good! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?
Damn, son, at least try not to look gleeful when informing Giotto that his boyfriend is no more. Giotto, are you seriously buying all this?? Hyper intuwhat now?
...wait wait, what? He knew? Oh snap, he recognized the letter was a fake because Giotto never refers to himself as "Primo" when he's around him? IF ONLY SPADE HAD BEEN MORE AWARE OF THE SECRET PET NAMES GIOTTO AND COZART USE FOR EACH OTHER. "TO: MY SWEET SIMON COCONUT. FROM: YOUR G-SWEETIE. X'S AND O'S!!! ♥" Not only would his plan have been more successful, but he probably would have tried to kill them both a lot sooner.
10. Guys, I would have a more coherent response to this awesome and TOTALLY FUCKING UNEXPECTED turn of events, but honestly? I am too busy drooling. *________*
AS ALWAYS WITH A PRIMO TWO-PAGE SPREAD, BULLET POINTS ARE REQUIRED.
- Alaude, my friend, you sure do make me laugh with those handcuffs. WHAT ARE YOU EVEN GOING TO DO WITH THOSE. Or were the originals magically transforming handcuffs too? Because otherwise, loling forever at the mental picture of him going up to all his enemies and being like, BAM, YOU'RE UNDER ARREST. AND YOU TOO. ALSO YOU!
- HOT AS ALWAYS, G, HOT AS ALWAYS. God bless you and your anachronistic fashion sense! You must have been quite the spectacle, walking down the street with good old Ugetsu back in the day.
- Lampo actually showed up to the battle? Kid's got more balls than people give him credit for.
- Da~mn, Ugetsu! Why is it that the guy in the dress looks manlier than all the rest of them?
- Knuckle, we all remember that you're a priest! There's no need to bring a fucking Bible into the middle of a fucking battlefield, goddamn.
- I love how they all turned around and struck poses the instant they flung off their cloaks.
- Defend it "to the very last"? I'm sorry, guys, I didn't realize the imminent demise of the Simon family was actually a forgone conclusion. Or at least that's what you make it sound like. Could have chosen a better way to word that, but whatever. IT'S STILL BADASS.
So, Giotto, it appears I owe you an apology! Hyper intuition was fully functional after all! Though this whole turn of events sure does raise a lot of questions about how things managed to end so badly from here. If holographic time-traveling Cozart appears from Enma's ring all of a sudden and is like, "SORRY 'BOUT THAT LITTLE BUDDY, I GUESS IT WAS ALL A MISUNDERSTANDING, I'M ACTUALLY FINE," I am going to punch him right in his face, I don't care how handsome beyond all reckoning it is.
On the other hand, it would almost be worth it, just to see Spade's reaction. XD
All I can say is, Daemon had better hope to hell Enma doesn't find out he was lying (??) about Iemitsu too, or else this arc is going to be so unbelievably anticlimactic it's almost--almost--not even funny.
Lastly, Happy Birthday to chuu (ahhh I'm sorry I'm so late XD), faorism, and vaultedthewall! ♥ ♥