raat ki rani

The first thing I want to say is that I really disagree with Kagurabachi being the, as you said, " 'creating sword nukes' manga". Kagurabachi has always been a manga about the consequences of making said swords and unleashing them upon the world, and the legacy they left behind. And we've been following that legacy, we've been following Chihiro, trying to avenge his father and atone for his sins, we've been following the Hishaku, who've been trying to upend the status quo created at the end of the war. And for 112 chapters we've followed this story (and liked it!) without knowing the specifics of what happened in the war or how the swords themselves were forged. We were given just enought information to understand what was going on, and it was enough.

Now, if I said I wasn't interested in what happened during the war, I'd be lying. I'd also be lying if I told you that this flashback was necessary. Ultimately, this story is about Chihiro. But the flashback is here, and I'm happy that we're getting it, and that we're getting it at this point in the story. My problem with this flashback is that it already feels like it's being going on for very long, and the first sword hasn't even been forged. I liked the "Irishima Talk" and what it did for Shiba's character, but ultimately we were introduced to a bunch of new character whom we knew from the get go were going to die horrible deaths, and waited many chapters for the obvious to happen.

Now, we've been in the forge for 4 chapters, one of which was about the relationship between Chiaki and Kunishige, which I liked, as it gave us a bit of context as to why Kunishige cares THIS much about this ordeal. But the rest have been just reiterating that "forging the datenseki is extremely dangerous and only he could do it!" which we already know from the beginning of the manga, talking about the specifics of forgin a blade, which like sure I can understand for one chapter, but you gotta move on. Move on, because the interesting part is not HOW the swords were made but what happens AFTER they're made. How do the swords change the conflict with the Mikaboshi? How does the conflict actually pan out? What triggers the malediction? Those, to me, are the important questions that this flashback needs to answer, much more important than the swordsmithing itself.

The flashback has now hit its 16th chapter. The first arc of Kagurabachi concluded in 18 chapters. It was a very short arc, sure, but it created a memorable and beloved villain and set the stage for the rest of the manga in just 2 more chapters than this current arc. I'm not saying that Hokazono needs to rush this, but he has shown he can create a compelling story in a short time, and it seems to me like he has now slowed down to a crawl, stumbling around with much less direction than before.

I'm sure that his poor health as of late hasn't helped, and the break itself has for sure made it seem like much longer, that is why I remain hopeful about the future of the manga.

Kagurabachi is also about a creator's legacy and how it affects them. And the swords are the legacy. They're so damn important, everything from their making (Kunishige's legacy), the usage (swordbearers and especially Samura's legacy), and their breaking (Samura's bet + Chihiro's goal).

It's not interesting.

Well, perhaps you don't like the technical aspects of it, but stabalizing datenski and forging is very important in the story, it's a core aspect of manga in which tides changed because of the formation of these swords. It's like saying why the Rokugo manga is focusing on how to do Rakugo well instead of just doing Rakugo. And it's not like we get 16 pages of a forgery lesson every week. No, it's accompained by character focused flashback as well as cool action. Our main character wanted to be a swordsmith since the very beginning, so it really shouldn't be a surprise that we get the entire process with the first sword. And when we get back to present, all this will surely come in handy.

And telling a creator to "move on" from a plot point they explictly want to show is dismissal of creator's intent with their own story. Gosh, sometimes Kaguratumblr really comes off as entitled.

I'd also be lying if I told you that this flashback was necessary.

Can we please keep opinions as that only, and not present them as facts? And even if it's not 100% necessary, it is interesting and fun to read. It's like the fabled Heian Era Flashback, not entirely necessary but would definitely add more context and nuance to the story in the long run.

My problem with this flashback is that it already feels like it's being going on for very long,

Yes, because we've slowed down on the pacing to explore the events that led to war. If Hokazono just put the happenings of Irishima Talks as blocks of texts, it won't take as many chapters as it did, but then it'd be tell not show and we'd hate it.

Comparing Sojo Arc to Seitei War Arc is just. Wow. That's the introductory arc, of course it's short. The cast is small, the story is linear and simple. By the time we get to SW, we have too many questions (what happened to Chihiro's mother, where did Shokoku come from, how do sorcery clans function, what led to Akemura's actions), and we have several characters, known and unknown, to be sure to appear.

And this arc has also created/introduced lovable characters! Subaru, Mashiro, Chiaki, all these characters are well liked.

Also, saying that Hokazono has been "stumbling around with much less direction" is....something, when we clearly see that each event leads to the next one.

but your response seemed a bit in bad faith.

"caste is a british invention 🐷💡"

translation:

You can't really say that for most of the characters since sometimes their death was expected like with Samura. The same thing happened with Uruha when he 'died' and the entire fandom mourned him. Why wasn't that an issue, but it is now?

You're right, it was exactly like Uruha dying like that despite sword bearers having major death flags.

I have been daydreaming about a Love Trio wedding for months now

(no background and initial sketch under cut)