ITP: Shameful tardiness.
Years after everyone on my flist posted their reviews of KHR 254, I am finally posting my own! On the plus side, by being awkwardly and unfashionably late, I did get to avoid the use of the much-maligned INP scanlation (aka the one that introduced the mysterious new character "Yuni"), and read the shiny I Eat Manga scanlation instead.
It was a mistranslation! Gosh darn it, I should have known! :O
Anyway.
1. Oh my God would you look at this girl. Just look at her! That smile could create rainbow puppies out of thin air, patch up the hole in the ozone layer, and cure cancer. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE THAT CUTE.
2. "Who is she?"
"The granddaughter of an acquaintance of mine."
DAMN YOU AMANO can we never win?? Always with you it's either jailbait (YAMAMOTO WHYYY) or attractive men who turn out to be OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE FRIENDS WITH LOLI GRANDCHILDREN. JUST ONCE CAN'T YOU LET US DREAM?
Okay, so apparently Reborn and the other Arcobaleno may be significantly older than we previously thought. But does this mean they were that old before they were babyfied, or that said babyfication took place longer ago than we expected? (I still think it would be awesome if they turned out to be immortal guardians of the 7^3 pacifier ores or something.) Amano had better tell us more about this curse soon.
3. "Greetings, everyone from the Vongola."
Oh my God look at that, she took out four Vongola guardians AND the boss in one hit. (Even Lambo! SHE EVEN MADE THE OBLIVIOUS SIX-YEAR-OLD BLUSH.) I'm telling you, don't underestimate that adorability factor. Byakuran, I can see why you resorted to drastic measures.
(Incidentally, I love Haru's reaction. Of all the crazy things that have been going on, this is what prompts an outburst, orz.)
4. "During the negotiations with Uni, who was boss of the Giglio Nero family that later became the Black Spell, you forced some potent medicine upon her and turned her into a doll under your control."
Okay. Putting aside the profoundly disturbing revelation that Byakuran took a small child alone with him into a room with no windows and gave her drugs, this sentence at long last confirms something FAR MORE IMPORTANT.
Namely, BRAINWASHING!1
BRAINWASHING!!!1
AT LONG LAST \o\ \o/ /o/
You guys, I'm so happy Byakuran really is as much of a dick as I've always believed. ;_;
5. "Byakuran, it seems that I can soar to other worlds like you."
...So Byakuran warped Uni's mind with drugs, and Uni saved herself by letting her soul fly off into another world. WTH is this manga.
Also: How exactly did that work? So that means that there was some Uni walking around in another universe with two souls? That must have been wild. And possibly sort of creepy for the Uni that wound up getting invaded. (I have this mental image now of her looking in a mirror a la a horror movie, and then walking off somewhere but her reflection just stays put, smiling that adorable smile of hers. Seriously, that's just weird.)
6. "In that case, I'll withdraw from the Millfiore family."
FUCK YEESSS TAKE THAT, BYAKURAN. TAKE THAT! GIGLIO NERO GONNA DO OUR OWN THING, WHAT.
WHERE the hell is Gamma already. Get over here, boy, it's your time now!
7. OHO, Byakuran, I bet you weren't counting on Uni secretly being A KLEPTOMANIAC! CHECK YOUR POCKETS, I BET YOUR WALLET IS MISSING TOO.
Incidentally, I would just like to say that every time Byakuran makes a WTF face, a kitten comes back to life. (On the other hand, every time he makes a face like this, a part of my soul dies a terrified death.)
8. "Well, let's go back... back to where I am."
"Tsuna-kun! Please help her!"
"Er--B-but..."
OH MY GOD TSUNA GROW A PAIR WOULD YOU REALLY HAVE JUST STOOD THERE AND LET HIM RAPIFY HER? WHERE IS YOUR SENSE OF SHOUNEN JUSTICE AND MAIN CHARACTER PRIDE??
Actually, I love that his first reaction was every bit as WTF as I would have been in that situation. XD Kyoko's like, "AHGH DO SOMETHING" and he's like, "ARE YOU INSANE DO YOU NOT SEE THAT CRAZY RAPIST FACE HE IS MAKING, OMG THOSE EYES!!"
9. Reborn, on the other hand... well, let's just say that the amount of badass in this one page is off the freaking charts. 8D
Dear God: Please let Reborn fight someone soon. I have had a taste of greatness, and found it to my liking.
Also, "the strongest of the Arcobaleno"? So is this finally confirmed, then? Awesome.
10. SQUALO YOU ARE MY FAVORITE!!!!
"Your opponent is me. I've been waiting to wreak havoc for so long." 8DDDD AND HIBARI!! TSUNA'S FACE SAYS IT ALL OH GOD. GO KICK KIKYO'S ASS! I LOVE EVERYTHING.