Chapter 126 Resumption Posting
Hokazono is back to the business of breaking hearts, dear void.
Editor's Notes:
First Page: ใๅพ
ใใใใพใใใไปๅทใใ้ฃ่ผๅ้ใงใ๏ผ๏ผ [omataseshimashita. kongou yori rensai seikaidesu!!] Thank you for waiting. Serialisaion now resumes!!
First Page Reminder: ๅๆใๆใใใใ่ฃฝ้ใซๆใๅฝ้ใใใฎ่ตคใ็ณใซ็งใใใใฏใผ [chiaki o sukuu tame, seitetsu ni idomu kunishige. sono akaki hitomi ni himetaru ha-] Kunishige takes on the challenge of steelmaking to save Chiaki. What lies hidden within those crimson eyes...
Last Page: ้ใใใๅฟใฎๅทฎใไธๆปดใฎ็ฏใผ [tozashita kokoro ni kisu itteki no hikari...] A single glimmer of light shines through a closed-off heart...
"The way to a man's heart..."
We are also back with the food metaphor that was so prevalent in the first two arcs!
A broken home represented by a broken plate and food thrown on the ground. Kunishige starting to heal represented by him getting to eat the home-made food Chiaki prepared for him. Simple as!
I was a smidge worried that we wouldn't get to see why Kunishige fell in love with Chiaki so I'm glad we got this little scene between them. Treating Kunishige like he's a normal friend she wanted to keep around was so important to him! No dramatic anime-style declarations of friendship or promises of staying together forever here. She just says she likes having him in her life and proves it by cooking for him. Once we get Chiaki's perspective (we will get that, right?!), I'll be satisfied.
This also solidifies Chiaki as the "heart" of the group. Where Shiba and Azami wavered, she decided enough was enough and reached out. Without her, Kunishige would have almost certainly drifted away from their little group of misfits and lived a lonely life. Male friends will dither and say "maybe he'll be alright if I don't bother him" when their friend's in a deep, dark place. Female friends with actually go and check.
Reductive and stereotypical, not something I'm really excited to see here, but we needed to get Kunishige and Chiaki alone together somehow I guess. And we can't have the men be emotionally intelligent because that would be unmanly or something. ...That's pretty uncharitable of me, but it's how I'm feeling right now.
At least we now know why Kunishige is the way he is, more or less. He doesn't know how to take care of himself and doesn't feel he's worth the effort anyway. It's not until Chiaki gives him some casual reassurance that he's wanted that he starts to think he's allowed to be in her life, poor guy. Apparently he couldn't even get a kind mentor!
He really needed a bit of kindness in his life. If Chiaki was the only person he could get that from, it's no wonder he fell for her.
It hurts extra deep knowing that Kunishige deliberately tried to flip the script with Chihiro. He was kind, gentle, patient- everything he didn't have in his own childhood. Protecting Chihiro from the violent life he knew was probably the number one thing to him. So Chihiro setting out to avenge his dad in the bloodiest way possible- his kid who had been raised only with love choosing violence and murder out of grief- well, Kunishige would probably weep with pain. I'm certainly deep in the feels right now just thinking about it.
It seems like Chihiro really inherited the best parts of Kunishige and Chiaki. The eyes that let him see things no one else can, the ability to cook and provide comfort. I really get the sense that Chiaki and Kunishige wanted Chihiro's life to be better than theirs were- he was so, so cherished. He was truly meant to be a gentle soul living a peaceful, ordinary life. Ouch.
So... about those first six pages... and Chiaki's role in all this...
I've got strongly mixed feelings on this chapter.
On the one hand, Kunishige's story landed as intended on the first reading. Some parts of it resonated with my own experience so strongly that it was basically guaranteed to. That's a reasonably realistic depiction of abuse, alright- especially how the victim can use the same vices to abuse their own victim. Cycles of abuse and Kagurabachi: an iconic duo.
Chiaki being a great friend first and foremost is also very sweet. She's the exact kind of person Kunishige needed in his life- someone down-to-earth and prone to dead-pan sarcasm rather than gushy emotions. And yet completely honest with what she's thinking and feeling so there's no guesswork involved. Even if they hadn't fallen in love, they would have been thick as thieves. It's a very wholesome relationship!
However, this chapter only really works in a vacuum. TL;DR:
Characters in Kagurabachi are static and disposable so we never see them in new contexts once their purpose in the story is done -> most of the girls and women are used as sob story fodder or objects to rescue in service of a man's story -> overstuffed fridge
These types of topics are very heavy and deeply affect the character involved; we should be doing more than saying "here's where they started and here's where they are now". It should be more than a basic motivation behind their actions servicing the plot. It's a reasonable way to deliver the story if we come back to it to sit with the character and their feelings for a while... but we don't.
Kunishige's matter-of-fact narration about his horrible childhood tracks with other abuse victims so far, namely Hakuri. They're very stoic and sparse on the details about it all. And once it's told, we never revisit either. So we are meant to swallow a hard lump of emotion then keep going just like they did.
Even if it works as efficient story-telling, I don't think this is effective for a serial manga. The action movie pacing of giving just the bare minimum before moving on is a detriment to Kagurabachi at this point.
This is a serial that's been going on for years now, but we still scarcely know the main characters. We're starved for all kinds of information about them, even basic things like hobbies and how they act outside of tense plot scenarios. We don't get to sit with them and get in their heads nearly as much as a normal manga series would allow.
I'll compare it to two other actively running action manga in WSJ to prove the point, plus a bonus one with similar efficient story-telling.
This is a bit of an apples vs. oranges scenario, yes. UEK's much more light-hearted than Kagurabachi is- it's all about "friendship, effort, and victory" like the classic shounen the author so clearly loves. But this comparison is about structure and pacing, not tone.
UEK has a typical structure where our protagonist faces increasingly challenging foes until the final showdown with the Big Bad. Each arc focuses on one problem and how Kiyoshi overcomes the trial with the help of the people around him. He might be the only one who can go toe-to-toe with the bad guys, but he can only do it because so many people believe in him. The usual stuff.
What really got me to stick with the series wasn't the classic shounen feel though. Nor was it the fight scenes (they're average for the most part) or the wholesome gags (pretty good most of the time). It's the character work that made UEK one of my weekly WSJ reads.
Between each arc we always have at least one chapter dedicated to winding down and letting the characters internalise their growth. Not just for Kiyoshi either! We get glimpses of where everyone's at and where their sights are set next. It's like sitting down and getting cozy after a tough day.
During that time, we get silly scenes to catch back up with some characters we haven't seen for a while, develop some relationships, or just see the cast members goofing off. It makes them much more relatable and desirable to follow. Food for the soul. Then the subsequent chapters start establishing stakes and tension again when the next trial is introduced.
At the start of UEK's current arc, we are still taking time to show how Kiyoshi, Akari, Nehan, and Jack Joe are doing. There's no sense of needing to rush into the next fight scene lest the audience grow bored. It's all about the character growth and setting the stage for even more of it.
By comparison, Kagurabachi just keeps zooming ahead. We didn't even get a full chapter to process Chihiro dying and coming back to life! If there was a time to pause and take things in, that was it!!! But by the end of the chapter, Chihiro's rolling out with the Masumi. We skipped over three whole days that could have been shown to check on him, Hakuri, and Shiba at a minimum!
Ichi the Witch is also closer to a traditional shounen than Kagurabachi is. But unlike UEK, it's got blurrier lines between friend and foe. It also relies less on the power of friendship (though there's still plenty of that).
Again after every major arc, we get time to sit with the characters for at least a whole chapter. The first big one was what sold me on this series, actually.
The first long arc in Ichi the Witch focused on Gokuraku trying to save his family and kingdom at large. There were a lot of heavy moments exploring the necessity of grief and regret- it's really good. And once the bad guy was defeated, we spent an appropriate amount of time with everyone in the aftermath.
Instead of rushing on, we spent a whole chapter and a half exploring how the experience changed Gokuraku and his sister. We sat with him as he weighed his options, thought through his decisions, and finally got the emotional catharsis he (and the audience) needed.
We got the same thing after the most recent arc too, which tackled themes of love, loss, and carrying memories forward. It caused a ton of huge feelings. And once again, we got to spend at least one chapter getting the proper catharsis for those feelings, resetting the stakes, and building tension again.
Ichi the Witch is like Kagurabachi in that the fights are generally snappy and plot-heavy instead of just existing for their own sake. So it's very noticeable that we are given time to relax and explore the characters here and not in Kagurabachi.
Ichi the Witch also doesn't seem like it's rushing from one fight to the next. There's plenty of action, yes, but we are taking the time to let characters play magical ping pong while factions plot their next move on the side. The characters are front-and-center instead of the Hype and Aura moments. Again, can't say the same for Kagurabachi.
UNDER DOCTOR is similar to Kagurabachi in that we never linger very long on any particular story- the longest "arc" so far has been 3 chapters at most. Yet even with only 26 chapters out so far, we've spent two of them following two separate characters around on a day off and one showing how they all function together as a little found family. They were great chapters that were extremely welcome even though they didn't advance the plot at all.
Even when Haiji (the titular "Under Doctor") is on a solo mission, we still come back to check on Chiwako and Shuuli by the end. They don't need to be directly related to what's going on for us to get in their heads! They matter to Haiji on a personal level, so it's important to see what they're up to. They exist in the story because of his actions, but aren't there only for his story. Can't really say the same about Kagurabachi's cast members- their screen time depends on how relevant they are to Chihiro's mission.
That's the thing that Kagurabachi lacks the most and it really hurts the overall quality. Characters are effectively established, and these one-shot style tearjerker backstories work as individual chapters, but there's no sense of catharsis or character security. As soon as their purpose in the story is done with, we discard characters and completely forget about them unless they're needed again. They're just props. Every heavy backstory is just a summary explanation on why characters are who they are and nothing more.
And it's even worse when it comes to the women. The damn fridge is full, Hokazono! STOP KILLING YOUR WOMEN TO GET THEM OUT OF THE STORY!
So far, the women in the series that have existed for something other than a (usually male) character's sob story are:
Char (child who exists to soften Chihiro's character and display his deep empathy, hasn't been seen since the Rakuzaichi Arc)
Hinao (plot device to introduce Char and Soya and mind children, hasn't been seen since the Rakuzaichi arc)
Shiyumi (fought and died to Sojo)
Yatsuru (has had all of like two lines and a few mentions in passing, not even a character right now)
"Pink Bearer" (we don't even have her name yet, not a character)
Hiyuki (Chihiro's rival, hasn't been seen since the Sword Bearer Assassination Arc)
Tamaki (Tou member, not even as much characterisation as Enji got)
Sumi (part of the single unit that is the Masumi, which is fronted by Ro)
Toto (non-combatant, partial comedic relief Hishaku member)
Yuki (hostage daughter of a Kamunabi member)
Kiri (unknown purpose but tied to her grandfather)
Traitor ninja lady (died to Kiri)
Chiaki's Mom (manifestation of the pressure Chiaki is under, this one is alright)
Bath house, smoke shop, and fortune-teller grannies (3/4 for gags in bonus chapters, 1 for Hokuto to flirt with)
Not great usage or writing for them, yeah. Meanwhile, the rest...
Char's Mom (died to save Char)
Yuu's Sister (motivation for Yu to "invade" the Rakuzaichi, rescue target for Chihiro)
Ice Lady (died to change the trajectory of Hakuri's life)
Kyora's Wife (died to make Kyora waver at a key moment)
Iori (rescue target, Samura's sob story and possible temporary Tobimune holder)
Inori (died in service of Samura's backstory and his relationship to Iori, as well as Iori's sob story)
Yura's Wife (died for his backstory)
Chiaki ("fixed" Kunishige with her love, presumed dead for Akemura's and Chihiro's backstory)
Kunishige's Mom (died for his backstory) <- NEW!!
It's just not a good look at all. You don't have to have every woman be a badass, kick-ass independent fighter! Just do more than introduce then completely side-line them via a built-in Relevancy Timer, okay? No one is safe from being off-screened for years at a time in this series, but women get the worst of it due to them being even more disposable than the men.
It's a really sad state of affairs that we aren't guaranteed to get Chiaki's perspective in the one arc where she's guaranteed to be alive for it. She's in a decent position for it- she's a central figure for the political conflict and obviously important as the woman that Kunishige and Akemura cherished in different ways. And we've seen her perform those roles so far, even gotten in her head for a little to see why she's doing what she is.
But what about her feelings outside of the men in her life? Outside of her role as the Soga Princess? We don't even get that kind of information about Chihiro, so there's basically no chance we'll get it with her either. Yet her functions in the story are Fixer of Man, Sister, and Princess- very gender-coded roles that don't do anything to break the mould, and we aren't doing much to examine the tropey misogyny of those roles being assigned to her. Much like we never examined all the rescue targets and dead wives before her.
I really want to give Hokazono the benefit of the doubt. I really do- I don't think he hates women or anything. It's just that the way he writes them makes it clear he's not interested in going above and beyond to make them feel on-par with the men in terms of importance. We need more ladies who exist for their own reasons outside of enhancing a man's story, y'know? Do you know that, Hokazono? And we DESPERATELY need character development chapters to better space out the action scenes.
I like the development potential they have!
Let me spend more time with them even if it's not in a fight or advancing the plot!
I think I got it all out of my system now. See you next week, dear void.
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
titsay
amandla
