Got off work, meaning it is time for my secret agent job (to hyper analyze mtp volume covers)!
I’ve waited for this one A LOT. Mostly because I was hoping for Louis to appear with a gun (if you want to understand my reasoning + find a few more funny parallels and facts with pistols across mtp adaptations, you can read my analysis here), but now that I see it, I realize it fits the story even better.
I assume and hope that the idea behind the current volumes’ covers is to play with the covers of part 1, which was already hinted at by the cover of volume 20, with Liam giving us a sword instead of pointing a gun at his head. With Louis, the development of his character is also visible through the covers’ major detail: a dagger.
A dagger that is not hidden behind his back anymore. Not hidden because he is not staying in the shadows. Not hidden, because he is ready to protect and fight, and he is vocal about it now. Connect it to his behaviour in the latest chapters with his intention to protect his brother, which is not only obvious, but also shielded by his current power. He can actually protect Liam. He can actually put him in the cage.
If anything, the cover of volume 22 is the opposite of volume 20. Liam is giving us a sword while Louis is keeping his dagger to himself. Look at his serious expression. We are not his friends. Liam is trusting us while Louis is not.
In the end, I want to add that I just thought about the foreshadowing of the cover of volume 3 — Louis takes off his glasses after Liam’s fall! He also does when he fights (emphasised in the musical), meaning that covers of volumes 3 and 22 carry the same idea: Louis is ready to fight.
I will think more about this cover. I love it!
And I can’t wait to see John — I am actually terrified of how he will be presented. Most probably, there will be nothing serious, but with the current theme of manga being about upcoming war, and John reflecting on it… I want the cover to be more dramatic than in part 1, that could be a nice idea, why not.
