#vol 175

[3]

Oh we get Nihon scenes too! Wonderful! I was half expecting that we’d just leave them behind at this point, so I’m thrilled that they’re still in it. 

As, uh, wacky as things seem to be going for them. 

Judging from the big swirling wind and clouds it almost looks like the climax of the main plotline is 🤔 important somehow  🤔 🤔 🤔

But it’s always great to see Fai and Kurogane sense danger and go straight to Sakura’s side without even pausing.

AHHHH

THE GROWTH

THE TRUST

THE EMOTIONAL STABILITY

THE GENUINE SMILE, SMALL AND DETERMINED AS HE CONVEYS A SHARED SECRET

AND KUROGANE OPENLY SMILING BACK AHHHH

AHHHHH AND THE FACT THAT ITS AN OPEN CONVERSATION

KUROGANE ASKS A QUESTION AND FAI ANSWERS HONESTLY 

LOOKING STRAIGHT AT HIM AS HE ADMITS HOW MUCH HE'S CHANGED TO KUROGANE

HOW MUCH KUROGANE AND THE OTHERS HAVE CHANGED HIM AND HOW HE'S FULLY ON THE SAME PAGE AS KUROGANE NOW

AND THERE'S NOTHING KUROGANE CAN SAY TO THAT SO HE JUST SMILES IN OPEN ADORATION AND APPROVAL AT THIS MAN WHO HE CARES FOR SO MUCH, WHO IS FINALLY BEING GENUINELY HIMSELF AND SHARING IT WILLINGLY WITH HIM 

[5]

>:|

Ok

Ok Seishirou

Ok both of you 

Objectively speaking “That was a terrible thing to happen to me” is such a banger of a line and I love that he says it so casually, holding his broken glasses, as if like-

Like it’s PURE Seishirou. To be in this narrative of destroyed worlds and broken people and terrible heartbreak (some of which actively caused BY him) and Seishirou has one inconvenience happen to him and he’s all, oh, this was a terrible thing actually. 

PEAK Seishirou sensibility.

And technically I do like that Fuuma is present to unpack the Seishirou Moment and explain what his true motives were in a way we don’t always get, even if I reject them utterly.

Because THIS TOO. 

And they’re both obviously terrible people willing and able to make people suffer for their own benefit, and here they are going “Oh yeah I totally let these people whose lives I’m ruining get away from me because it’s a bit of fun”, ignoring the part where they’re ruining their lives and psychologically torturing them and making them live in constant fear. 

Because of course they are. It’s Seishirou and Fuuma. How else are they going to frame it? 

[8]

I - 

OH I SEE OK

OK 

OK

OK YEAH LET’s DO THAT

SO AS LAVA LAMP MOVES TO ATTACK SYAORAN PROPERLY FOR THE FIRST TIME HIS SWORD CLEANLY SLICES THROUGH A SAKURA PETAL, LEAVING TWO UNEVEN HALVES BEHIND

OK CLAMP YES YOU DESERVE THIS

YOU CAN HAVE THIS IMAGERY

YES YOU HAVE BUILT UP A HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FOUR CHAPTERS WORTH OF TENSION, YOU CAN HAVE A FREE VISUAL METAPHOR IN THE MOST DRAMATIC WAY POSSIBLE

[9]

I adore that it still comes back to kicking, really pulling us back once again to the fact that we KNOW this character, we’ve LIVED alongside this Syaoran, and so has Lava Lamp, and yet here we are in the tragic climax where he’s using these same kicks against you all the same

I think you could also get a lot of mileage out of the fact that they are mostly physically identical - and so, their kicks would be their most evenly matched of attacks. It’s the rest of it all (their swords, their souls, their magic) that’s unequal, and THOSE are the things that are a cumulation of their choices and circumstances, and so it’s THAT part of it all that will decide things in the end.

[7]

listen I am so sorry but the only person we can blame about the bandaids is Syaoran himself, and he’s not open to criticism right now

Ooh now this touches back on something that was never clear to me, so I’m glad we’re revisiting this. Back in Seresu I felt a little muddled when it came to the state of Fai’s magic - did it grow whenever he used it or not? Was Ashura lying about that or was it real? But I think this moment aligns it all in a way that finally connects for me. From what I can tell, Fai’s magic originally grew whenever he used it (thus, the tattoo from Ashura to prevent Fai getting stronger than Ashura could ever catch up to), but when he lost his eye in Acid Tokyo he lost that property of his magic. The eye that Syaoran stole still holds the ability to grow more magic the more its used, but Fai’s remaining eye seemed to be left with the opposite, where the more he used the magic the less (power? Life force? Battery charge?) he would have left.

Which I really like narratively, since it ties back into that theme of balance all over again - where Fai’s eyes were originally in harmony and worked together flawlessly for purely good results, but once separated (by Syaoran, who is himself completely imbalanced) the harmony is broken and he’s left off worse than even if he just had a functioning half.

It’s a fantastic echo to the state of Syaoran’s soul in general, and the fact that Syaoran now HAS this other unstable half of a whole set is not only thematically appropriate (because that’s what HE is as well), but a parallel to the overall plotline. He now has a power that will keep growing the more he uses it, to the extent that he will soon be more powerful even than Lava Lamp Guy could ever be - just like the rapidly escalating imbalance in the universe will also keep growing the more it keeps happening, and must also be stopped before it can overpower whatever force of balance is trying to keep Evil Wolverine from shattering the entire thing completely. 

[1]

(Tekken Voice) FIGHT

But how INTERESTING that Syaoran (on the right) has raised his sword in imitation of Lava Lamp, to meet his challenge. I’d almost assume that dramatic sword pointing would be too unnecessary for his programming to bother with, but maybe it counts as responding to a threat, to reply in kind? Or maybe his body is supplying him with the same actions in a muscle memory of what Syaoran or Lava Lamp would probably do here too? 

Either way it once again gives us that BEAUTIFUL dose of imagery, with them standing as visibly imperfect reflections of each other, of two halves of the same soul. We’ve already covered the clothing in the previous chapter but now we have the SWORDS to boost the mismatched colours - one sword black, the other white. Also one sword is visibly longer than the other, reinforcing that sense of imbalance, that Syaoran has an incomplete soul with one colour vastly overpowering the other, whereas Lava Lamp has a shorter sword of more reasonable length. 

[10]

Oh and the runes are bleeding at the edges oh oh oh gosh that’s such a great and unique way really encapsulate the mood of the whole thing

Right before the joint explosion of character themed fire and lightning of your dreams

But of course, they’ve just established that while they’re equally matched in most things, Fai’s eye is going to give Syaoran an advantage the more this happens, and right away it sends his side of the explosion over the edge and gives him the victory

I DON’T EVEN KNOW IF I CAN SHOW PEOPLE ON FIRE SO WOOPS MORE BANDAID-CHAN 

AND OH BOY I DIDN’T EXPECT THAT KIND OF THING TO HAPPEN SO QUICKLY

THE END OF CHAPTER? RIGHT HERE AT THE CLIFF HANGER?

[2]

And here’s our opening cover!

🥺

A NICE NAP FOR THE FAMILY. 

AS A TREAT

it’s what they deserve!

I think you can read a lot into even just the way they’re lying. Fai and Kurogane have their arms resting in similar positions, but on opposite sides of the page. Fai looks to the side - to the past? towards Sakura? Towards Kurogane??) Perhaps he’s turning? Like his life and goals have changed? While Kurogane looks head on, as he’s been set on the same thing for so long (protecting them all, especially from themselves). Fai holds the feather in a hand, but not tightly, as if letting it go, while Kurogane doesn’t use his hand at all and has it only barely resting under his arm. Is this indicative of his trust in Sakura, perhaps? Kurogane had already trusted her to make her own decisions and keep herself alive in Acid Tokyo, but Fai didn’t have that luxury then, making him much more protective at the time, but now he’s grown and changed and trusts in her to do her own thing more than he did before when he had very little trust to give at all. He’s also wholly committed to them now in a way he never had the chance to be before, which might also reflect in his slowly unfurling grasp. OR is it their grasp on their original goals? Kurogane is only barely holding his because his goals have already changed so much, and he’s back with Tomoyo now anyway, so his wish is complete actually! Perhaps the only member of the original family whose quest was completed in a mostly straight forward manner. Meanwhile, Fai has only just started letting go of his original goal, because the opposite of his wish to avoid Ashura has already happened, and his other wish to revive his brother is impossible, so he’s beginning the process of moving on.

Meanwhile Sakura and Lava Lamp take up centre frame, circling each other as if caught in the gravity of it all, but not directly looking at each other, not actually working FOR the other exactly. Lava Lamp still seems to hold the feather close to his chest, working SO HARD toward his goal of (???) that it’s the core of him - or is it actually a little away from his hand? Does he have another goal that the feather doesn’t actually directly contribute towards? Either way Sakura clutches her feather in a way unique from the others, holding it up before her AGAIN like she’s still conscious and doing things even though she’s asleep, because she IS. 

And also Mokona is there to help!

The fan translation for the text that would be across the page reads: You who have been through no end of hardships, for now, may you simply rest, enveloped in eternal peace.