It kind of feels like the main function of this volume is to move all the pieces into place for the climax. (But I do love the climax itself! Coming up, volumes 31 and 32.)
Drat, I wanted to hold onto all the volumes in this arc until we were done talking about Skypiea, but volumes 24-26 are due back tomorrow, so I guess I'm going to run an errand today.
It kind of feels like the main function of this volume is to move all the pieces into place for the climax.
I glided through the start of the volume pretty quickly (all the Wiper/Nami/snake/Conis stuff), then bogged down when Luffy started fighting with Enel. Though I did like how Luffy was the one creature who could, in essence, neutralize Enel's attacks. Kami my arse.
Nami asks Enel to take her with him.
This confuses me on several levels. First, it's not clear to me what Nami is trying to accomplish other than escaping pain. (Here, Oda's "no one dies" trope reeeeeally works against him, since I don't believe Zoro and company are dead.) She doesn't really have a plan to stop him. Next -- and more significantly, I guess -- why the heck did Enel take her? Am I supposed to believe he's a breast man? I mean, he has "killed" all of his followers. He completely destroyed his last sky island (Birka?) when he moved here. What's the point in eradicating everyone yet taking Nami with him? (I could also protest letting her bring the waver, but Enel's so arrogant that even if it had occurred to him Nami would use it to try to escape, he would have assumed he could zillion volt her death.)
Luffy and Aisa opening the snake's eyelids and being the iris. Hee. (Sorry, snake. I love you more later.)
When no one believes her, she deliberately blasphemes Enel to prove that judgment won't come
This was the kind of awesome courage I was hoping to see from the sky island people. Go, Conis! (And I'm so impressed when she stays with the Merry later, too.) On the other hand, I was kind of afraid that the islanders would take their inevitable rescue by the strawhats as a sign of Enel's benevolent mercy…but Oda kind of surprised me there by introducing a sea change (hee) into the angels' lives.
possibly the most useful SBS ever
I have to disagree, just because it's sorting by type rather than describing the methodology used to categorize. Ooooh…I want to see a water logia type. Can there be a water logia type? I mean, it's not like rain does Luffy in.
I apparently have found my inner 12-year-old boy because I thought Luffy's gum-gum spaceout was the funniest thing ever. (And that's gum-gum WHY, Luffy?)
Pause to remember I didn't praise the supersonic duck squadron SBS banner. But no Eyelashes the camel? Keep trying, Eyelashes!
I'm glad to learn there are limits to Nami's survival instinct, but I still don't understand why Enel brought her in the first place.
Usopp's octopus foot clamps, have we seen those before? Awesome!
+1
Usopp: I'M GONNA SLAP YOU SILLY!
Aw, I wish Viz had translated it like that. The bit where Sanji is "okay" with Usopp dying is still hilarious, though.
(Aisa hates when he calls it a kintama (golden ball) - I gather the reference is obscene.)
One of those "huh?" moments in English, since "stupid golden ball" just doesn't carry the same connotation as "kintama" does in Japanese. I think even Beavis and Butthead would have a hard time finding the innuendo there. (So, as always, thank you for supplying the Japanese.)
Usopp manages to crawl back over the edge
Aw, way to be a hero, Usopp. I nearly die from laughing when Usopp is head first in the cloud saying stuff like "You were so brave, Sanji. Don't die on us!"
he keeps rolling into the ruins and breaking things, to Aisa's fury
Hee! My first thought is that he better not let Robin see him…and then they run into Robin!
Poor Aisa is totally freaked out by Robin's devil fruit ability.
Aren't we all, Aisa? Aren't we all?
Robin calls Usopp "Long-nose-kun" and Sanji "Cook-san."
With this volume, I really started to feel the "distancing" in Robin's names for the crew.
"Damnit! If only I (oresama) had been there…"
Y'know, given what he just did for Sanji, these grandiose claims of warrior omnipotence are suddenly less "ha ha" funny and more…well, you couldn't have done anything to stop them from getting hurt, but I know you would have done all you can, Usopp.
As far as what Nami's trying to accomplish, I think it's purely a matter of buying time. (I don't think she thinks the others are dead, either, only unconscious, so rescue is not out of the equation.) That's partly why she really starts freaking out when it looks like Enel's ark might take off and deprive her of any options (because the whole time she's just looking for a way to turn the tables and escape).
As far as Enel's motives -- I find his motives hard to figure out in general, but he did ask all the survivors of the "game" to become his new vassals. I think that was the whole point of the game, to identify who was strongest so that he could have the strongest servants (I'll bet he did something similar when he hired the first group of vassals). Nami may have survived largely by accident, but she did survive.
Also, I forget the exact wording of what Enel says in Japanese (and how Viz translated it), but he likes the fact that unlike the others, she's properly afraid of him. (I think he says something like "Fear has its advantages"?) It makes her a useful and controllable servant.
But yeah, I'm glad her Enel-vassal plan didn't last long. I think it was only ever a lame plot device to get her onto Enel's ark in the first place.
Ooooh…I want to see a water logia type.
Oh, good point! Unless I'm just drawing a blank, I don't believe we have seen a water logia. That would be cool. I'm sure Oda must be keeping some good logia-candidates up his sleeve for future revelations.
I mainly found the SBS useful because it eliminated any confusion in whether XYZ character was a logia or a paramecia (I have seen some arguments along those lines, especially with some of the more powerful paramecia). Also, it was useful to see Enel's comment that "paramecia retain their basic shape" called out and emphasized. I think we see more development and commentary on the various devil fruit types later.
I know you would have done all you can, Usopp
That's the great thing about Usopp - his flawed delusions of grandeur are mostly funny and endearing rather than annoying because there's heart there. Granted, not always ability, but definitely heart.
Isn't 31 the best? I'll work on that this afternoon. (And the cryingest. I kind of forgot how much it hurt to read that flashback. Damn you, Oda!)
It kind of feels like the main function of this volume is to move all the pieces into place for the climax.
I glided through the start of the volume pretty quickly (all the Wiper/Nami/snake/Conis stuff), then bogged down when Luffy started fighting with Enel. Though I did like how Luffy was the one creature who could, in essence, neutralize Enel's attacks. Kami my arse.
Nami asks Enel to take her with him.
This confuses me on several levels. First, it's not clear to me what Nami is trying to accomplish other than escaping pain. (Here, Oda's "no one dies" trope reeeeeally works against him, since I don't believe Zoro and company are dead.) She doesn't really have a plan to stop him. Next -- and more significantly, I guess -- why the heck did Enel take her? Am I supposed to believe he's a breast man? I mean, he has "killed" all of his followers. He completely destroyed his last sky island (Birka?) when he moved here. What's the point in eradicating everyone yet taking Nami with him? (I could also protest letting her bring the waver, but Enel's so arrogant that even if it had occurred to him Nami would use it to try to escape, he would have assumed he could zillion volt her death.)
Luffy and Aisa opening the snake's eyelids and being the iris. Hee. (Sorry, snake. I love you more later.)
When no one believes her, she deliberately blasphemes Enel to prove that judgment won't come
This was the kind of awesome courage I was hoping to see from the sky island people. Go, Conis! (And I'm so impressed when she stays with the Merry later, too.) On the other hand, I was kind of afraid that the islanders would take their inevitable rescue by the strawhats as a sign of Enel's benevolent mercy…but Oda kind of surprised me there by introducing a sea change (hee) into the angels' lives.
possibly the most useful SBS ever
I have to disagree, just because it's sorting by type rather than describing the methodology used to categorize. Ooooh…I want to see a water logia type. Can there be a water logia type? I mean, it's not like rain does Luffy in.
I apparently have found my inner 12-year-old boy because I thought Luffy's gum-gum spaceout was the funniest thing ever. (And that's gum-gum WHY, Luffy?)
Pause to remember I didn't praise the supersonic duck squadron SBS banner. But no Eyelashes the camel? Keep trying, Eyelashes!
I'm glad to learn there are limits to Nami's survival instinct, but I still don't understand why Enel brought her in the first place.
Usopp's octopus foot clamps, have we seen those before? Awesome!
+1
Usopp: I'M GONNA SLAP YOU SILLY!
Aw, I wish Viz had translated it like that. The bit where Sanji is "okay" with Usopp dying is still hilarious, though.
(Aisa hates when he calls it a kintama (golden ball) - I gather the reference is obscene.)
One of those "huh?" moments in English, since "stupid golden ball" just doesn't carry the same connotation as "kintama" does in Japanese. I think even Beavis and Butthead would have a hard time finding the innuendo there. (So, as always, thank you for supplying the Japanese.)
Usopp manages to crawl back over the edge
Aw, way to be a hero, Usopp. I nearly die from laughing when Usopp is head first in the cloud saying stuff like "You were so brave, Sanji. Don't die on us!"
he keeps rolling into the ruins and breaking things, to Aisa's fury
Hee! My first thought is that he better not let Robin see him…and then they run into Robin!
Poor Aisa is totally freaked out by Robin's devil fruit ability.
Aren't we all, Aisa? Aren't we all?
Robin calls Usopp "Long-nose-kun" and Sanji "Cook-san."
With this volume, I really started to feel the "distancing" in Robin's names for the crew.
"Damnit! If only I (oresama) had been there…"
Y'know, given what he just did for Sanji, these grandiose claims of warrior omnipotence are suddenly less "ha ha" funny and more…well, you couldn't have done anything to stop them from getting hurt, but I know you would have done all you can, Usopp.
Quick, let's do 31! NOLAND!
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As far as what Nami's trying to accomplish, I think it's purely a matter of buying time. (I don't think she thinks the others are dead, either, only unconscious, so rescue is not out of the equation.) That's partly why she really starts freaking out when it looks like Enel's ark might take off and deprive her of any options (because the whole time she's just looking for a way to turn the tables and escape).
As far as Enel's motives -- I find his motives hard to figure out in general, but he did ask all the survivors of the "game" to become his new vassals. I think that was the whole point of the game, to identify who was strongest so that he could have the strongest servants (I'll bet he did something similar when he hired the first group of vassals). Nami may have survived largely by accident, but she did survive.
Also, I forget the exact wording of what Enel says in Japanese (and how Viz translated it), but he likes the fact that unlike the others, she's properly afraid of him. (I think he says something like "Fear has its advantages"?) It makes her a useful and controllable servant.
But yeah, I'm glad her Enel-vassal plan didn't last long. I think it was only ever a lame plot device to get her onto Enel's ark in the first place.
Ooooh…I want to see a water logia type.
Oh, good point! Unless I'm just drawing a blank, I don't believe we have seen a water logia. That would be cool. I'm sure Oda must be keeping some good logia-candidates up his sleeve for future revelations.
I mainly found the SBS useful because it eliminated any confusion in whether XYZ character was a logia or a paramecia (I have seen some arguments along those lines, especially with some of the more powerful paramecia). Also, it was useful to see Enel's comment that "paramecia retain their basic shape" called out and emphasized. I think we see more development and commentary on the various devil fruit types later.
I know you would have done all you can, Usopp
That's the great thing about Usopp - his flawed delusions of grandeur are mostly funny and endearing rather than annoying because there's heart there. Granted, not always ability, but definitely heart.
Isn't 31 the best? I'll work on that this afternoon. (And the cryingest. I kind of forgot how much it hurt to read that flashback. Damn you, Oda!)
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BRAIN BLEACH! BRAIN BLEACH!
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