Never Gonna Get Us

I wonder if the font for the letter in original Japanese is different too. I always like it when this is done instead of using "quotations". It's a nice touch.

Seems like the focus of this chapter are our dear insurance ladies. Love love Milly's devotion in whatever she does. She always strives to do her best in her job, but this dedication to write to each relative she has every month is just something else. I also appreciate how she is kinda treasured for her sweet nature - from Meryl's clear guidance and their boss radar gift.

Ah, Meryl. Ask for chaos and you shall receive. LMAO. However, does she have some problems at home. Just going by her lines here.

OMFG. BWAHAHAHA!!! THESE TWO PAGES!!! 😂🤣😂

I really need to buy hard copies of the manga. This must have been a page turner shock. It looks so serious from one page, but when you go to the next? HA! IT'S VASH GETTING BULLIED BY TWO SENIORS INTO BECOMING THEIR MEAT SHIELD!!! It's such a clever and funny layout.

Admittedly, this was a bit of a busy page. However:

One of my fave drawings by mangakas are when the "break out" objects or characters from the traditional panels. That gun sticking out has a nice 3D like effect.

Speedlines to show how quickly Vash went into for real real meat shield mode for the old couple. Meanwhile, that clear drawing of his hand feels like he is about to take out his gun.

Gun and nail details and... Have I mentioned before how I never really understood the beauty of negative spaces until I started reading this manga? Just something that hit me is all.

THE INSURANCE LADIES TO THE RESCUE! ROFL! Poor Vash getting bowled over. Poor Vash's spine!

Oh my.... Let me just appreciate this for a while.

They're just so beautiful. Oh my goodness. Again let me just gush about how the volume insanely Nightow is at visually communicating scale? Not to mention clothing folds and drapes!

Another fine specimen of scaling and foreshortening! And.. did Meryl just called Vash BROOMHEAD?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Man's got a point. Unfortunately. Poor, Vash.

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!! I CAN'T- I JUST CAN'T!!! Everyone just rolls with it for the greater good while Vash is just stressed! 😂🤣😂

Interesting set of panels:

Again with the negative space

Awww! Milly's sweet tooth and where is she exactly? I can't remember, but she must be from somewhere really stable/rich, right? I mean her family sounds big which indicates their location can support a big population. Plus, the food the she often mentions are not exactly easy to get.

Vash looking for an escape or is it?

Oh, Meryl. I love you and you usually hold the brain cell, but this one time you had been fooled! Grandpa used everything you told them earlier to lay a trap! MERYL, YOU WERE OUTPLAYED!!!

Uhuh? Oh, really? The blush makes me think she didn't think this through and is scrambling for an excuse pronto.

Also, again with that negative space! Nice because it really helps with this "transition" in the next page.

They are walking under a clear blue sky. Idk why it matters a lot to me but it does. It feels "smooth".

Huh... I wonder if Tristamp took queues from this one when they animated Meryl's joy in seeing the garden in Episode 9.

Exposition can be a slog to go through *cough*jjk*cough*. However, this exchange was not overwhelming. The lay out really helped. While some panels/boxes have overtaken by speech bubbles, there are plenty of blank spaces to make it easier on the eyes. It properly built up the last panel which made it more impactful.

This is so lovely to read and the composition is just beautiful.

Again with that negative space. There's a lot of it in the manga I realize.

It's odd to see Meryl without earrings.

Investigative Meryl Mode!

Huh?

And there we go, the rest of the Nebraska Family.

Obviously, this went really differently from the '98 anime. I don't know why I expected Woof Woof already when it's already been made obvious that both anime adaptations shuffled events around.

However, I really appreciate how Meryl and Milly got the spotlight early here. In '98, this was kinda halfway through the series. It was way waay late and Woof Woof already entered the scene.

I must say... '98 really had to get creative with the material that they had because the BDN's Arc was covered from Episodes 7-8. Then Episode 9 introduced Wolfwood. From 10 to 12 were anime originals... I think. Not yet far enough in the manga to know if they were "remixes".

Anyway, the fillers in '98 are not bad and plenty entertaining. Some of the funniest shit and badass scenes of Trigun were from those. They were great addition to the story especially since it never contradicts the characters core (sans the horn doggy-ness).

But it does screw over Wolfwood tho... just a tiny bit on hindsight. I mean if '98 is judged on its own, he is perfectly fine. However, with Tristamp giving his background (which I believe is more loyal to the manga), it is kinda odd how he didn't stuck with Vash after they met in the bus. Then again, Woof Woof has a bit of a different background in '98 which made sense... Kinda.

Augh the challenges of adapted of an on-going manga. Studio Mad had to make things up as they go, but they still did great! The inconsistency with Wolfwood is pretty minor - almost negligible... except why didn't he stick with Vash the first time? Sigh... this may nag me for a while.

Oh. Also for @revenantghost

Ok. Now I'm more excited to see more with the manga's plants.

Sorry for the confusion! When I said I prefer the 9o's version of plants, I'm mainly referring to the lightbulb design which fits the vibes of the plant angels more. It's very magitek which I really like while Tristamp uses tanks which totally make sense since its more sci-fi heavy.

The interesting thing about the plant design in Tristamp is how I can associate them with earth, sky, and water. Earth because of how they remind me of faeries, Sky because of the wings, and Water because they give me mermaid vibes as the live in their tanks. It has its own charm... but yeah magic lightbulb angel ftw!

Again... my bad for not being clear. Sorry.

I do hope we see more of the Bad Lads and eventually BDN in Tristamp properly. HARD AGREE on some lore bible or art book from Studio Orange! I think there were some supplementary materials from the limited edition DVD release tho?

That's a good way to describe Tristamp - a love letter to Trigun itself. I also respect Nightow for just letting Studio Orange do its own spin. Most creators won't be so comfortable giving other free reign in their sandbox.

"It's not as bad as I thought, but not as great as I hoped."

I. Not As Bad

I have no problems with the conclusion of each character because they earned their happy ends after all the misfortune they went through. Although it's bittersweet since that happiness has been paid for by all the "good" of The Past.

I wondered before if the message in JJK is somewhat like "Destroy everything of The Past to give hope to The Present and bring about a Better Future." This last chapter kinda seals the deal for me that that is the case.

One of the prevailing theme in JJK is that Jujutsu Society is horrible and must change. There are bright spots like Nanami, Yuki, Yaga, Choso, and Gojo. However, one by one, they died like some sort of sacrificial lambs in a ritual to rid of all the evils of their society and allow a brighter future for the younger generation of sorcerers. It reminds me of Mai telling Maki before dying "Destroy everything".

Anyway, this last chapter just kinda show how Gojo's dream of a new jujutsu society is finally fulfilled. It's kinder to sorcerers - there are now second chances for "curse users" and healthy support for each other. Gojo may not have lived to see it for himself but he knew that Yuji will carry on his hopes and go further than he ever did (kinda reminiscent of Todo's words back in Shibuya). I'd even go as far and interpret Gojo's conversation with him is a warning of "Do not be like me. Do not strive to be The Strongest or have another The Strongest. Forget measuring yourself to me. Forget me."

Overall, the conclusion is bittersweet.

II. Not As Great

The set up for the ending is bad. Really really bad. It's all over the place. The reason? The pacing. I think that's root of all evil in this manga - horrible lightning speed pacing.

As I mentioned earlier, the conclusion is not that bad but there should have been more time to set it all up. Why weren't they set up? It's because the narrative never slowed down enough for characters to breathe or the world to build up more. Everything is in-between the lines, clunky exposition dumps, or in supplementary materials.

I wholeheartedly believe that this bittersweet ending would have been better had there been "fillers" in the story like that baseball game and Ogawa chapters. Fillers is the fix needed for JJK! THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TRAINING ARCS AND MORE MISSION ARCS! But it was not meant to be because things are just happening too fucking fast all at the same time in this series.

Tbh tho, this problem is its greatest strength too. JJK is popular because of its breakneck pacing and no frills-filler storytelling. Just straight up action manga with a side of horror. So, I feel like Gege as a writer got stuck between a rock and a hard place then decided to just throw himself over the rocks.

III. About Gege

I'm not mad at the guy. I am thankful that he still bothered to go through with this story and finish it as best as he can despite his situation. Looking at some his interviews, he had it rough.

He wanted JJK to be straight up horror but his editor forced him to put it in a high school setting which had him changing his original ideas.

JJK was about to get axed. He was wrapping things up, but then got bamboozled into continuing the series. Idk about anyone else but that is one mindfuck for a creator.

The brutal weekly schedule did not allow him to cook enough especially anything related to the female characters since he expressed regrets regarding it. Not to mention when his art suffers in the really short chapters.

Huh... I guess this kinda factors also to my attitude of "Not As Bad" towards the ending. The whole thing could've gone so much worse because has enough reason to be really spiteful.

IV. Fave Parts in the Last Chap

The Kyoto Babies! Look at how happy they are to see Kokichi! Also, Mai being a nice wingwoman as she elbows Miwa towards Kokichi. AND LOOK AT THEIR INTERTWINED HANDS! 🥺

NA-na-MI! NA-na-MI! NA-na-NA-na-NA-NA-MI!

MY HUSBANDOS!!!

ItaFushiKugi!!! MY LITTLE BABIES!!! THEY'RE SO HAPPY TOGETHER!!!

Their gremlin faces! Ah... It's so nice to see them share a braincell again!

LMAO!!!! Poor Megumi has his hands full with these two.

Ah. Sorry, Megumi. You are stuck with them forever.

I think these are the panels that really convinced me that the jujutsu society has changed.

If this happened at the beginning, you bet this guy is going to be branded as a Curse User, hunted down, and then killed... Actually, would there even be a case? Because this may not be "serious" enough for the higher ups to get three sorcerers on the case since it's just stalking and the client is a hostess that probably won't have enough money to pay them.

The sorcerer here is self-reflecting. Instead of "throwing out" his negative emotions to target others or force them to deal with the consequences of his choices, he processes it. He actually ponders on what he has done wrong. It's a far cry from, let's say, Hidden Inventory where a slip-up in self control sends people spiraling down and down until they start hurting others.

Look, I believe that it made absolute sense that Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara are still going on missions - that a jujutsu society still exists. This is now a natural part of their world. Curses will always exists because humans naturally feel negative emotions all the time and someone has to deal with it. I guess tho that with sorcerers being revealed, they can be better integrated into the ordinary society and perhaps work out a way to minimize or slow down the manifestation of Cursed Spirits? I mean... good therapy should help prevent too much leakage of negative emotions, right?

I guess this is why Yuji was triggered to remember his conversation with Gojo.

PROOF AGAIN THAT GOJO DOES CARE ABOUT HIS STUDENTS!

HE DOESN'T WANT ANYONE TO BE LIKE HIM - STRONG BUT ALONE!

Ooof. Another reason for me to think Gojo is not really arrogant. The guy just have a bad habit of stating facts in the most obnoxious and insulting ways possible. Damn his fucked up social skills.

This parallel is just... so bittersweet. Yuji honoring Gojo by offering others a chance to find a new way of life - a second chance.

It also echoes something Gojo had done in Hidden Inventory. Remember that Paper Bag Sorcerer with a Cloning CT? Gojo also offered him to turn over a new leaf. Unfortunately, he had no success.

However, I think Yuji will have a much better chance and surpass him in this regard. I think Gojo would be proud.

A surprise reappearance of Mahito. A very much welcomed surprise for me.

I find it hilarious how Mahito is trying to play mind games with Sukuna as he did with Yuji. Ha! As if a baby like him could faze an ancient like Sukuna.

Sukuna understands himself very well. He has a strong sense of identity. So, this really felt impactful for me. Yuji really did get to him enough to make him think that maybe he should take another path.

Also, I like how just through these panels, we can understand without question how much Sukuna values Uraume. He is loyal to them as much as they are loyal to him. They care for each other mutually.

Ngl... The Sukugo fan in me is thinking how Gojo also contributed to Sukuna's decision here. Yuji convinced Sukuna to change, but his choice to become maybe a guardian for Uraume in the next life could be inspired by Gojo.

HAHAHAHA! FUCK YOU, MAHITO! WHINE THERE ON YOUR LONESOME, ASSHOLE!

Wait... Is Mahito refusing to reincarnate because of Yuji's threats to him? Like waaaay back in Shibuya, Yuji promised to hunt him down if he revives. He's terrified to come back. So, he stays in limbo. ROFL. What a coward!

A page full of happy smiles in a young generation of sorcerers. None of them will ever be alone again.

Also! Notice how Hakari and Kirara seem to be wearing Jujutsu Tech uniforms? I think that just further reinforces how "The Past" is well and truly gone. From here on out, Gojo's dream jujutsu society is no longer just a dream. It finally has become reality.

Would you believe that this also makes complete sense to me?

It has been established that the fingers are impossible to destroy. So, I'm sure that Yuji and co. just kind of scattered all 20 fingers in various hiding places. It's just not much of a threat now because the Curse Energy in them has been expended during the Shinjuku Showdown and the Final Battle.