Chapter 111 Future Posting
What can I even say, dear void... (future!Hest: a hell of a lot, apparently)
Editor's Notes
First Page: 少し昔- [sukoshi mukashi...] "A little while ago..."
Last Page: 秩序を- [chitsujo o...] "Order..." (as in "discipline" as well)
And then there were three.
In the JP version, the text that VIZ removed read: Bearing the burden of pride, love, and a distorted future... Hakuri is burdened by the effects of Kyora's pride, Chihiro by Kunishige's love, and now Iori by Samura's hope for the future. The triptych is complete.
I've seen some discourse about Samura's death this chapter being disappointing and pointlessly cruel. A waste of Chihiro's efforts. I don't think that could be further from the truth, though. Let's talk it through.
Didn't have time for it during the week, so may as well write that mini-essay now.
The way that Samura was introduced raised a few death flags right away. I yapped a lot about it in his debut chapter, but the gist is that he's a guilt-ridden middle-aged man who thinks he can't be redeemed. He was a popular traitor candidate and for eventually dying as soon as he showed up because of that combo- how many times have we seen a misguided foe in their autumn season have a change of heart and die right after being redeemed? It's a sure-fire way to tug at the heartstrings in any kind of story.
And it did indeed play out like that on the macro level in Kagurabachi, though with a lot of struggle and tears to get there. We didn't get Samura eviscerating the enemy and dying with a "thank you for helping me see the light" in Chihiro's arms or anything. Instead we slowly watched the flags pile up and held our breath until they all came due.
[slaps Samura] This guy can fit SO much guilt inside him.
From his introduction to the betrayal reveal, we learn that Samura is very upset that he's lauded as a hero. He doesn't like it, won't stand for it, refuses to accept being called one. The reveal of his plans to Uruha and Yura -killing the blade wielders then taking himself out- didn't come as a surprise. There's so much emphasis put on how he thinks he's beyond redemption after what happened during the war that it basically screams THIS MAN CRAVES DEATH from a narrative standpoint. He's a foe, he's killing (potential) allies, he's telling the MC to sit down and stay out of it for his own good... yeah, Samura's taking the most extreme route possible.
There are arguments to be made that putting so much weight on him wanting to die meant that he'd be forced to live somehow later on. Or that he'd die and end up regretting it. That's how you get narrative twists that deeply affect the reader- establish a character's probable fate then subvert the outcome (without destroying motives/characterisation of course). But Hokazono played it pretty straight for so long and piled up so many flags that it almost makes it incredulous beyond belief that Samura would die in the end.
Inori tells him (and us) what's holding him back and what he needs to do to overcome it...
We see him start to do it thanks to Iori...
He even reaches out for help, but being called a hero reminds us that it didn't go well based on what's happening in the present...
...and we see him decide on his current path thanks to Yura's manipulation.
By the end of his and Iori's backstory, we realise that Samura's suicide mission isn't a way for him to redeem himself- it's just a way for him to try and atone for all the pain he feels and thinks he's caused. He's a tortured man who wants to do one final act of good before bowing out and sparing everyone else from the misery he causes. Suicidal depression incarnate, essentially.
At this point we can be easily convinced that he will live, damn it. Him accomplishing his goal would be the worst thing possible for him, Iori, Chihiro, and everyone else! Instead, he needs to somehow be convinced that living and fighting for that future he turned away from is worth it. A tall task to be sure. But Chihiro and Iori manage it by the end of the Kyoto arc.
We breathe a short sigh of relief then it's off to Tokyo. Samura's finally got his head cleared up and he's set to be a strong ally.
From the start, Samura was introduced as an incredibly powerful warrior. The fastest IWPS user that isn't out in the mountains fighting bears, the one who taught Uruha. Then we learn about the insanity of Suzaku's power and another death flag was firmly planted.
Eat shit, pink-haired brat. Stay out of the story forever please.
You see, in a shounen and many coming-of-age stories, older allies who are insanely strong compared to the MC tend to not last long. They die for emotional impact, sure, but also because we need the MC to keep growing through struggling. Samura being in the story would be like having a pocket healer during every fight unless he was contrived to be off-screen like Shiba often is. Possible, yes. But we already have one off-screen king and we don't need another.
We finally got to the point where Samura wanted to live though! His arc was complete; he should be set to redeem himself by helping Chihiro and being there for Iori! It was so narratively satisfying to see all those death flags averted! We even had a chance for him to keep growing since he was still uneasy during the fight against Yura! We could follow him now and then as he becomes more confident in his new mindset and spare Iori the pain of losing her father again!
So why the hell is his final act a heroic sacrifice? Isn't a hopeless duel against Akemura just suicide by another name? He should have been beyond that by now!
"Your curse will also, surely..."
Resolving to live was a huge moment for him that cannot be understated. And I completely understand why there are people who think it's cheap or unfitting for him to go out in the way he did here. His suffering should have been over as soon as he healed his eyes and saw Iori for the first time in years. In a happier manga, it would have been.
But Hokazono's not necessarily the type of writer to give us a strictly happy ending. In short, Samura died to close the loop back to where he started when he was introduced. You see, the final death flag planted for Samura wasn't really done by him, but by the framing of how overwhelmingly strong Akemura is at present.
Even in a borrowed body, even after languishing in a prison for 18 years, his fighting skills haven't dulled a bit. With possession of a body as fit as Yura's, Akemura is an unkillable demon with ambitions to be king. Anything anyone tries to do here is a waste of time; Enten breaking and disintegrating was a bucket of cold water to douse any hope of a good outcome of this fight. Chihiro's the only man for the job but he's just not there yet. He needs more time now that he knows how fearsome Akemura really is.
So this chapter is the final manifestation of Samura's reversal in mindset. He was introduced as suicidally depressed, full of despair over a future he couldn't bear to face. He was completely hopeless and looking for a way to go out while taking as much pain as he could with him. Now his iron-clad motivation has shifted completely to the opposite side: towards the next generation that proved they have what it takes to right his generation's wrongs. They just need time and support to get there.
By giving up his life to show Chihiro what it really takes to face someone of Akemura's calibre head-on, Samura gave him a chance to reach new heights in strength. By leaving Tobimune for Iori, Samura is giving her the chance to fight for what she wants to protect. This was his final act as a caring mentor figure and father- his ultimate gamble on the future he finally embraced.
My heart does break for Iori, yes. She absolutely deserved more time with her Dad. It hurts so bad that he died just after she got him back! But this was the best move he could have made in a hopeless situation: believe in the hope he saw manifested in Chihiro and Iori. They showed him a bright pathway instead of the dark road he'd chosen to travel alone. Now, trusts them to see things through.
The duty of a father -and what Kyora failed at- is...
This absolutely isn't the Samura we met- the man who was looking for an excuse to die alone along with everyone else's sins. This Samura is a man willing to share the burden of righting past wrongs, believing in the younger generation's capabilities, even if it means giving up his life for their sake. That's the crucial distinction that makes the moment of his passing so profound.
"Sorry, Iori... I'm going on ahead."
Samura's last parting gift, the power for Iori to fight and protect, is his way of saying that he's not abandoning her on purpose again. Unlike last time, he doesn't want her to forget he ever existed, but wants her to know he cherished her presence in his life. Unlike last time where he apologised for only causing her pain, his affection and faith are with her now and always. So though he has to go now- not out of guilt like last time, but deepest love- he knows she can create a better future.
How Iori deals with this will be her own origin story. She can go back to a regular life, she can choose to fight. Having the option to choose this time is the most important factor. But speculation on what it will be is for another time..
So, Samura blinded himself before the war. We know from the flashback conversation he had with Chihiro in chapter 53 that he did it because he couldn't stand the feeling of cutting into flesh:
The first reason was his steadfast Buddhist faith, per his flashback conversation with Shiba in chapter 51
Child soldiers and Kagurabachi... yup, checks out. We don't know how old Samura is in this scene here but Akemura can't be older than 18 since that's when he was given the Magatsumi. And now I have a bunch of questions like "who were fighting against the lowlifes before the war" and "what is Samura's pre-war backstory" and there are no guarantees they'll get answered. God damn it.
Seeing Akemura before his "curse" contrasted with his stated goals at the end of the chapter really highlights how he hasn't fundamentally changed his principles. Instead, he's simply become so extreme that he's now a great evil himself. I can see a lot of the Kamunabi choosing to work under him because he's just going to help them accomplish the org's mission, guys! He's going to kill the bad guys and protect the weak like he always has! No one's going to mourn if more sorcerer clans meet the same fate as the Sazanamis based on the way Kasen and Yura explained it, after all.
Also, like I yapped about waaaaaay back at the start of the Assassination arc, this could be where Hiyuki comes back in to the story. I speculated back then that her core conflict would be the Kamunabi's stated goals and their methods vs. her own ideals. She has absolute faith in the institution despite disagreeing with things like bidding for the Shinuchi. Now that Soga's planning to run the show, will that change? Will seeing his hard-line stance make her question her own rather black-and-white beliefs? I want to find out... and honestly I just want her back, I miss her.
Sounds good on paper, but we've seen enough by now to know what this really means.
It's anyone's guess as to what Akemura will do to Yura's body and the Eternal Contracts- will the pinky promise come back or is that just a dropped plot point/red herring? Is assassinating the other Bearers still on the table? No clue. I just hope that while he's doing whatever those goals entail, our main cast can have some time to rest and reflect.
And to round things out so I can prepare for another chapter of characters not getting enough downtime dropping next week:
Last two panels here in JP:
Samura: ...悪いな。[...warui na] "...Sorry 'bout this."
Soga: とんでもない。[tondemonai] "Don't worry about it."
It leans more on Samura acknowledging that Akemura is honoring him with a proper duel instead of just cutting him down, exposing himself to getting hurt for no reason. There's still a lot of honour and a sense of duty to do the right thing at the core of his character. He's also apologising for forcing an old comrade to kill him, in my opinion.
No quibble with the TL, just wanted to share how it was phrased in JP:
...確かに首を飛ばしておくべきだった [...tashikani kubi wo tobashite okube kidatta] "I definitely... should have sent his head flying."
I just wanted to mention it since I think it sounds better with a more literal TL. Plus, one of kanji in Tobimune is 飛 (飛宗, "soaring faith") and Samura lived up to the sword's name in his final moment with his actions and entrusting it to Iori... he really was the most suited to wield it... now I'm sad again.
Again no quibble, just a note about the JP phrasing:
荒んだこの世に妖刀の力を知らしめる。[susanda kono yoni youtou no chikara o shira shimeru] "This forsaken world... will know the power of the Enchanted Blades."
荒 [susa(bu) and many other readings] is an interesting word choice. In general, it means laid waste/rough/rude/wild; as a verb, it describes acts like invading and running wild (and trolling as slang lol). In particular, the 荒ぶ [susabu] reading of it means "to run to waste, to become degenerate, to deteriorate" and other negative allusions to people and things "doing as they please" to deleterious effects. So I think a poetic interpretation of the intent could be along the lines of calling the world "forsaken" or "degenerate", as in it's become much worse off than how Soga left it 18 years ago. Therefore he will be the one to restore order and return it to it's proper state with the help of the Enchanted Blades.
Okay... I think that's everything. I'm crushed like I wanted to be by how this all played out. Take care and choose kindness, dear void.
stormborns
areudirty
izzy806
