Lost In Transition

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THE LIVEBLOG OFFICIALLY REOPENS AFTER ALL THIS TIME. 

HERE WE ARE. 

CHAPITRE 171: OPERATION PUNCH SEISHIROU. 

WATANUKI HAS A STICK. 

But if I can reign in my pure adrenaline for even a single moment (unlikely) we can talk about the fact that this is the accompanying piece to the chapter immediately before it. Here are both of them side by side:

And here’s the fan translation I have for both covers:

Lava Lamp: As the sakura fall upon the water’s surface, they know what is to come, yet naught but ripples remain

Watanuki: As the sakura fall upon the water’s surface, they catch a glimpse of bygone days, and show naught but that journey

It’s very pure, very cleansing, very spiritual - very Yuuko Ichihara field trip vibes. 

But how INTERESTING that their covers are matching mirrors of each other - not identical, but matching parallel paths, and you can visibly see them both walking outwards from the same spot in the middle of both frames. The text for each image also starts exactly the same - once again showing both them as coming from the same origin, starting the same way, before diverging as they separate. 

How interesting. 

Let’s pretend I have no guesses about what that means. 

Instead let’s talk about the way their splash text poems have a different focus for each of them - with Watanuki’s text referring to the past, and Lava Lamp’s referring to the future. This naturally has different implications for each of their storylines, and it’s pretty fitting from my limited knowledge. I’ve definitely talked about the vibe I get that Lava Lamp knows a little about future events, and the overall aim of Tsubasa as a series IS saving the future from Evil Wolverine, so that’s perfect. Watanuki’s poem gives him the past, which also matches his role in Yuuko’s store - which is visually a piece of the past in the middle of the modern landscape - not to mention Watanuki being trained in the same traditions and knowledge that Yuuko has.  

My Dad owned a business my whole life. It was profitable, but it didn’t expand. I ask him once why he never grew it, and he said it’s nearly impossible without climbing on someone’s back–your vendors, your customers, your employees. Particularly that last one. You don’t wait until your business is big to be a good human being. The very first time you have to choose between your own profit and your employees health insurance, you choose the later. You give maternity leave even though the government doesn’t make you. You dock your own salary to not lay people off during a recession. You have adequate staffing and reliable hours. Anybody who says you can’t run a retail business on a normal, reasonable, predictable schedule you know in advance is full of shit. My Dad did it for 35 years (always have one more person than you think you need, and 98% of your staffing problems vanish). It’s just not maximum profit. If you don’t prioritize extracting profit from every corner of your business, you never become rich enough to give billions away. 

don't get too close