Rainy

THROUGH THE MOUNTAINNNN

He was 23 when his first novel was published. After six years of writing professionally every single day. The Carpet People was a lovely novel, from a lovely writer, but almost all of Terry’s iconic truth bomb lines come from Discworld.

The Colour of Magic, the first ever Discworld novel was published in 1983. Terry was 35 years old. He had been writing professionally for 18 years. His career was old enough to vote, get married and drink. We now know that at 35 he was, tragically, over half way through his life. And do you know what us devoted, adoring Discworld fans say about The Colour of Magic? “Don’t start with Colour of Magic.”

It is the only reading order rule we ever give people. Because it’s not that great. Don’t get me wrong, very good book, although I’ll be honest I’ve never been able to finish it, but it’s nowhere near his later stuff. Compare it to Guards Guards, The Fifth Elephant, the utterly iconic Nightwatch and it pales in comparison because even after nearly 20 years of writing, half a lifetime of loving books and storytelling Terry was still learning.

He was a man with a wonderful natural talent, yes. But more importantly he worked and worked and worked to be a better writer. He was writing up until days before he died.  He spent 49 years learning and growing as a writer, taking so much joy in storytelling that not even Alzheimer’s could steal it from him. He wouldn’t want that joy stolen from you too.

Terry was a wonderful, kind, compassionate, genius of a writer. And all of this was in spite of many many people telling him he wasn’t good enough. At the age of five his headmaster told him that he would never amount to anything. He died a knight of the realm and one of the most beloved writers ever to have lived in a country with a vast and rich literary tradition. He wouldn’t let anyone tell him that he wasn’t good enough. And he wouldn’t want you to think you aren’t good enough. He especially wouldn’t want to be the reason why you think you aren’t good enough. 

You’re not Terry Pratchett. 

You are you.

“Yes,” I said.  “But I like seeing how authors grow.”

Hokazono is back to the business of breaking hearts, dear void.

Editor's Notes: First Page: お待たせしました。今号より連載再開です！！ [omataseshimashita. kongou yori rensai seikaidesu!!] Thank you for waiting. Serialisaion now resumes!! First Page Reminder: 千晃を救うため、製鉄に挑む国重。その赤き瞳に秘めたるはー [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: 閉ざした心の差す一滴の灯ー [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!

Chapter 114

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.

And then...

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.

Chapter 3

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.

The Elephant in the Room

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.

And lastly...

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...

Uran (killed Kunishige)

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 this series!

I like the characters!

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!

P L E A S E ! ! !

leaf obtained, purpose unclear

ground:

unclear

sibling obtained, purpose: biting

It's, it's just that dragons are the primordial embodiment of avarice wrought into fire and flesh. They are truly, supernaturally good at finding large amounts of valuables, that's why the big mines hire those Dragon Scouts to go sniff out their lairs and mark them on the maps as potential mining ventures. You know, in case someone slays the relevant dragon. Which doesn't happen often because, milord, they are simply not that easily slain.

No I know you've hired many knights, blooded warriors and true. Yes, I was there when you gave the ten most impressive ones their special sashes. Very grand, very high honors, of course. Ehm. It's just, none of them have ever actually faced a dragon. Yes no I know Sir Edbert says he did but Sir Edbert is rather notoriously prone to exaggerated and tragically unverifiable tales---

Well no milord of course I would not doubt the word of a sworn knight. Perhaps his sobriety, but not his word, as such.

The point is that the grand treasury, while surely grand and a very special notion, is just... it is mayhaps not the ideal way of handling the realm's finances? Perhaps a series of smaller vaults, capped well below the dangerous wealth threshold at which gold is known to whet the appetite of colossal winged harbingers of death, in different corners of the realms or...?

No, I, yes well I do realize that will impede anyone's interests in coming into the vault to hurl around the gold coins and go "whee, I'm so rich!" I am aware of its deficiencies as a plan in that regard. No, I see I've misjudged a few things.

Actually, thinking on it, milord, I truly believe what you need is a fresh set of skilled wizards on this job. The court magician and I, we cannot keep up with your visionary thinking. We're too old-fashioned. But the wizards revolutionizing the eldritch academies seem to be more on this sort of level. I hear they've made some truly remarkable choices in terms of outsourcing all of their spellwork to the Ever-Whispering Void, such that it takes mere minutes for them to set up an entire defensive array. That's just the sort of innovative thinking you require.

Hey real quick, can anyone tell me why i'm still trying to have honest, direct, good-faith discussions with people on the internet in the year of our lord 2026?

bonus ask from someone else:

The reason I'm not sharing the links and articles I'm being sent, nor debating the specific issues people in this post are bringing up, is because none of it matters to the point I'm making. All large organizations, all governments, all world powers, will inevitably try and shape the narrative of world events in their favor. That has always happened, and it always will, and that is why it's so important to take these grand narratives with a grain of salt. I don't believe there are any governments in the world that can claim innocence here, though the largest powers are those most guilty.

This post is not about debating the details of any one specific event. This is me saying, broadly, that in my circles i have noticed an uptick in stories minimizing China's faults and emphasizing their achievements based primarily or even solely on the word of sources i personally find unconvincing. I don't feel the need to wade deeper into those waters other than to remind folks to think critically and question the narratives of large organizations when reading the news.

People have responded to this by delivering unto me an onslaught of questionable "proof" delivered by individuals and organizations I neither know nor trust, many of which take hard line stances that the things China has been criticized for are complete fabrications (something which I do not believe to be the case based on the evidence I've seen and heard from both sides of this discussion). To debate these individual sources, these individual events or the veracity of specific accusations, is to ignore the point that, as the great lasagna lover tells us, you are not immune to propaganda.

on the way home, I encounter someone eating raspberries. I ask and they tell me that they grow their own, they got some seeds from the shop back in The Raspberry Days and kept them. They take me to a field of many beautiful raspberry plants and invite me to pick my own, they're free for all the town to pick whenever they'd like.