I liked young Momoji, but I love grown up Momoji. His chapter was where I began to tear up, and then Hiro made me cry. The moment with Hiro holding his sister? It had been set up so well, I could see it coming, but that didn't make it any less powerful.
I totally agree that the Tohru falling off the cliff thing could have been so stupid, but yet wasn't.
It's funny: I adore Kyo, and I adore Kyo with Tohru, but the fact that Kyo and Yuki finally really talked to each other ended up having so much more of an impact on me than that kiss and the shippy stuff. I'd been waiting for that conversation ever since Kyo and Yuki fessed up to Tohru that they wanted to be each other way back when.
And chapter 126: well, I was so pleased. For Kyo, of course, but also for Akito.
The whole confrontation with Kyo and Yuki was SO good. It was what brought my fondness for Yuki screaming back into focus, after being rather 'meh' about him for a long time (I'm not fond of the student council parts, despite liking Kakeru--too much focus away from the Sohmas as a whole).
Gaaah, yes! Though I think I have a higher tolerance for the Student Council bits, probably because I absolutely adore Yuki and Machi. And just Machi being awkard and cute.
And I loved seeing Machi buying something for Tohru, just because it seems to crystallize Tohru as a catalyst for all the Sohmas. Also... awwwwwww!
I keep finding that I'm not so bad with the student council chapters when I'm reading them in whole volumes, and I do see their purpose--Yuki definitely needed to develop away from the family, not within it. But Takaya has this habit of abruptly having one or two chapters with them when we're on pins and needles over the main story, and it's insanely frustrating to have them on a chapter-by-chapter basis. (If any of the remaining five chapters center on them, there'll be shrieking. Or something.)
The chapter with Yuki and Machi was awfully cute, though. *^^*
You know, Tohru falling off the cliff could have been entirely too much, but I was ok with it because it was coming after so much and because it's a catalyst for so much change.
The best part is that it's foreshadowed from the FIRST CHAPTER--well, 'foreshadowed' is a bit strong, but way back when, there's the landslide that buries Tohru's tent, and Shigure says that the cliff is unstable and prone to collapsing. I love that Takaya could even do something like that and have it be consistent.
Also, I nitpick but the curse seems to be a little random, given that Kyo can hug Tohru through laundry and Ayame can kiss Mine.
The kissing is fine, since it's really torso-to-torso contact that triggers the curse. As for the sheets, well . . . it didn't work. *laughs* Within the chapter, the image of Kyo hugging Tohru is the last picture in the scene, IIRC, and vol. 19 shows us the next moment as a between-chapters pic. (But this is my favorite bonus image from that volume. ^_
( ... )
The best part is that it's foreshadowed from the FIRST CHAPTER--well, 'foreshadowed' is a bit strong, but way back when, there's the landslide that buries Tohru's tent, and Shigure says that the cliff is unstable and prone to collapsing.
The sheer amount of narrative payoff in these last few chapters has been impressive. As I think I've mentioned elsewhere, I find rereading the earlier volumes almost unbearably poignant now, from the first mentions of Hiro's mother being pregnant to Yuki's decision to become student council president.
I keep telling people that I'm so in love with the series for the characters, but that Takaya's one of my favorite writers because she makes things hang together so beautifully. It's so skillfully handled on pretty much every level (and it's nice to feel optimistic about a manga's ending for once--not in terms of the events, but in terms of assuming that she'll be able to deliver).
It does mean that making more anime would be difficult to do well (have you seen the anime?). People tend to focus on the big things that were changed, like Shigure's personality, and the "explanation" for Akito, and Yuki's role in the ending. But there're so many tiny references that got cut for space--there's no mention of the boy with the red hat, and the first reference to Rin got cut--not that it'd be impossible to work around, but . . . yeah. It'd almost definitely be missing that sense of continuity and depth if they ever continue. (And thus, I always feel a little guilty for wanting so badly to see Rin animated despite all that.)
I watched part of the anime--the first four or five episodes, and then the last few. I bounced off the manga the first time I looked at it, and the anime reinforced or heightened the things that caused that (the sweetness, the pastels, the fact that a character has purple eyes). So I just watched the last three episodes because I knew they ended with that particular arc, which I love. (I wanted to see Kazuma animated too.) I think I missed or ignored the alternate explanation for Akito though.
Man, I've been keeping up in the magazines, and each new chapter either makes me cry (in the middle of the office), or it gives me the chills. The curses breaking sends shivers down my spine. The woman is amaaaazing. She even managed to redeem the stupid student council volumes in the end, which impresses me greatly.
Ohhhh, I'm so jealous you have the magazines! I adore the curse breaking and how Takaya decided to have it just sort of dissolve instead of having the drama of people breaking it. It puts the focus more on the aftereffects and on the capricious nature of the curse.
Yeah, the drama in this series is so understated. The comedy tends to make up for it by being totally over the top, but having a horrible, century-long curse be broken seemingly spontaneously and with no fanfare? Wow.
(I still want an explanation of the when/why/how of the curse, but perhaps that would ruin the magic)
Love for Shigure, too. A particularly layered character in a giant cast of layered characters. And a fellow dog, to boot! :-D
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I liked young Momoji, but I love grown up Momoji. His chapter was where I began to tear up, and then Hiro made me cry. The moment with Hiro holding his sister? It had been set up so well, I could see it coming, but that didn't make it any less powerful.
I totally agree that the Tohru falling off the cliff thing could have been so stupid, but yet wasn't.
It's funny: I adore Kyo, and I adore Kyo with Tohru, but the fact that Kyo and Yuki finally really talked to each other ended up having so much more of an impact on me than that kiss and the shippy stuff. I'd been waiting for that conversation ever since Kyo and Yuki fessed up to Tohru that they wanted to be each other way back when.
And chapter 126: well, I was so pleased. For Kyo, of course, but also for Akito.
Now you know why this completely ate my brain!
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And I loved seeing Machi buying something for Tohru, just because it seems to crystallize Tohru as a catalyst for all the Sohmas. Also... awwwwwww!
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The chapter with Yuki and Machi was awfully cute, though. *^^*
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The best part is that it's foreshadowed from the FIRST CHAPTER--well, 'foreshadowed' is a bit strong, but way back when, there's the landslide that buries Tohru's tent, and Shigure says that the cliff is unstable and prone to collapsing. I love that Takaya could even do something like that and have it be consistent.
Also, I nitpick but the curse seems to be a little random, given that Kyo can hug Tohru through laundry and Ayame can kiss Mine.
The kissing is fine, since it's really torso-to-torso contact that triggers the curse. As for the sheets, well . . . it didn't work. *laughs* Within the chapter, the image of Kyo hugging Tohru is the last picture in the scene, IIRC, and vol. 19 shows us the next moment as a between-chapters pic. (But this is my favorite bonus image from that volume. ^_ ( ... )
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The sheer amount of narrative payoff in these last few chapters has been impressive. As I think I've mentioned elsewhere, I find rereading the earlier volumes almost unbearably poignant now, from the first mentions of Hiro's mother being pregnant to Yuki's decision to become student council president.
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It does mean that making more anime would be difficult to do well (have you seen the anime?). People tend to focus on the big things that were changed, like Shigure's personality, and the "explanation" for Akito, and Yuki's role in the ending. But there're so many tiny references that got cut for space--there's no mention of the boy with the red hat, and the first reference to Rin got cut--not that it'd be impossible to work around, but . . . yeah. It'd almost definitely be missing that sense of continuity and depth if they ever continue. (And thus, I always feel a little guilty for wanting so badly to see Rin animated despite all that.)
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(*squeee!!* Tohru/Kyo! And grown-up!Momiji!)
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And eeeeeeee for Momiji!
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(I still want an explanation of the when/why/how of the curse, but perhaps that would ruin the magic)
Love for Shigure, too. A particularly layered character in a giant cast of layered characters. And a fellow dog, to boot! :-D
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