R.I.P. Steve Jobs

[makeste]

This has nothing to do with the chapter I’m about to review, I'm just mentioning it because I only just heard and it was really a blow to the gut. Wow. The guy was a legend, he’ll really be missed. :(

At any rate, though, we will continue our revisitation (is that a word??) of the last ten or so KHR chapters with chapter 349.



SUMMARY OF THIS CHAPTER:

Tsuna, Reborn, and Lambo take a bath. Having thus refreshed himself, Reborn orders a cold one from Bianchi, which causes Tsuna to flip out and LOSE HIS SHIT because OMG BABIES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEER. After spending a page or two musing over the fact that COME TO THINK OF IT, THAT REBORN GUY IS NOT QUITE NORMAL, IS HE, Tsuna’s speculations are interrupted by the announcement of yet another new transfer student, Chrome! /o/

It turns out that Chrome is even more of a glum chum than usual because Mukuro booted her from the Kokuyou Gang. I guess they can only babysit one illusionist at a time. Anyway, so they decide to throw a party since parties make everything better, and then once the others leave, Tsuna dramatically confronts Reborn on the roof of the school to ask just who the fuck the Arcobaleno really are, anyway. To everyone’s shock and delight, Reborn replies that he is actually going to give Tsuna a straight answer to this question. …Then he amends that he will tell him IF Tsuna wins the Mimicry Competition at Chrome’s party that night, which makes much more sense in the context of his character. XD

Said competition turns out to be six kinds of amazing and features, among other things, Lambo’s impression of Enma (WHICH IS THE GREATEST THING I HAVE SEEN IN MY LIFE), Gokudera’s impression of Yamamoto (SECOND GREATEST THING), and Ryohei’s impressions of I-Pin and Reborn. However, none of this is at all relevant to the plot. Soon enough, Tsuna, starts reminiscing about how, once Reborn tells him (and us) his secret, he has the strangest ominous feeling that “everything will change.” DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN.


THINGS OF NOTE:

• Considering the COUNTLESS WONDERS they have already seen in their short lives, Tsuna and Lambo get freaked out by the weirdest things. “OH MY GOD TOO MANY BUBBLES!!1” Guys… relax.
  
• I do note that Reborn actually obeyed Tsuna’s “NO BEER” command without a fuss, which I wouldn’t have expected. Maybe to preserve his cover a little while longer? Since apparently none of them ever did make that leap of logic of “HEY MAYBE HE WASN’T ALWAYS A BABY??” Despite them knowing about TYL!Lal… eh, you know what, I give up having expectations of them. XD
  
• You guys would not believe how psyched I was when I first read “Ah, but [Yamamoto] said that he heard the Arcobaleno’s secret when we went to the future…” Just knowing that Amano hadn’t just FORGOTTEN about all of that made me fucking GIDDY.
  
• WATCH OUT CHROME, YOU ARE APPARENTLY THAT CHUBBY GUY’S TYPE.
  
• Was anyone else caught off guard by the fact that at the bottom of page 5 there were all those reaction shots and then suddenly, CHROME’S SKIRT? Like, what?
  
• Gokudera’s sad face on page 7 when he finds out about Chrome is the saddest sad face ever, man. Even coming from Gokudera 2.0 with Dual Core Self-Assurance and Turbo Empathy enabled, it was a bit surprising. Then again, I guess he of all people knows how that feels, what with his having been kicked out of/rejected by more than his fair share of Mafia groups before he finally found the Vongola. /long unnecessary paragraph discussing the possible meanings of a face Gokudera made
  
• Amano did a nice job with the art in this chapter, I have to say. *thumbs up!*
  
• ”Well, we’ve been together this whole time…” Yeah, Tsuna, and you only just now thought to ask? So many of your thought processes are dictated entirely by plot. XD
  
• That seriously did shock me though when he asked and Reborn was just like, “Okay.” ?!?!?!? THEN OF COURSE HE THREW IN THAT LITTLE ADDENDUM ABOUT WINNING THE CONTEST FIRST, AND I JUST WANTED TO PUNCH HIM FOR BEING A GOSHDARN TEASE.
  
• 
  
  
  HANG GLIDER OUT OF NOWHERE. Reborn, this is why you’re still the master.
  
• Wait a sec, so this means that for one year Tsuna is now Chrome’s errand boy??
  
• I already noted in the summary that Lambo’s imitation of Enma is up there in the top 5 (or 3, or 2… or ONE) gags Amano has ever drawn, so I will say no more here, except that ALL THE LULZ. ALL OF THEM.
  
• ”MY BRAIN’S MADE OUT OF WASABI |D” As both a Gokudera and Yamamoto fan, there are no words to express how tickled I was by this scene (right down to Reborn giving it a 2 because Yamamoto is his favorite it was “full of bad intentions” XD). Really, the entire mimicry competition was just nonstop brilliance. I could have easily loled through an entire chapter of just this.
  
• Does anyone have any idea why Ryohei’s impression of Reborn caused everyone to blush?
  
• ”Maybe it’ll be better to not know anything…” TSUNA SO HELP ME GOD IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT WUSSING OUT OF THIS… *harsh look and slit throat gesture* >8(
  
• Last but not least, the Leon impression was the icing on the delicious crack cake. “I don’t think it’s bad…” Lol what. So if it had been anyone other than Tsuna, he probably would have won.
  
  Tomorrow we shall continue our odyssey of catch-up recaps as we officially enter the ARCOARC! FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS MY PEEPS. LET’S RIDE. B)
  
  ETA: Sorry about that, the formatting should be fixed now. XD

Comments

[elanor-pam.livejournal.com]

Lambo won.

We never did see the competition's results, but if Lambo didn't win, I would SO CALL SHENANIGANS.

[makeste.livejournal.com]

He was totally ripped off though, that bastard Reborn only gave him 4 points. Really, Reborn? Really?!

Yamamoto the Eternal Favorite probably won, with his impression of Squalo. I'm just assuming he did a Squalo impression because... idk. IT SEEMS LIKE THE THING HE WOULD DO.

[elanor-pam.livejournal.com]

It does seem like that would be his choice, doesn't it? XD;

[storm-obsession.livejournal.com]

Aww, ArcoArc? Really?
Sounds like some kind of industrial thing. XD

[makeste.livejournal.com]

Or a superweapon of some sort. Or a motivational acronym!

Amazing
Revolutionary
Chronicle
Of
Awesome and
Refined
Coolness

...granted that one is pretty lame because I came up with it in like 30 seconds, but I bet someone else could work up something better! XD

[storm-obsession.livejournal.com]

That would work...provided this arc is awesome. I mean, if it ends up becoming...lame, then the acronym would just be...well, too awesome for it. :/

[nadramon.livejournal.com]

Lambo won. All the way. 8)

In retrospect, maybe it's not that weird that it took Tsuna so long to ask Reborn who the heck he was, considering that he has spent most of this manga worrying about his own survival. And has actually seen weirder (and more frightening) things than a baby mafioso. I mean, before Reborn started giving hints, did we ever question his age? The Daily Life arc was pretty much there to get us used to the lulz. Guess it worked on Tsuna, too.

STILL. He had better not have given up entirely on finding out. X(

[makeste.livejournal.com]

He won in my heart, at least!

And while it can be argued that Tsuna's simply been too busy dealing with his crazed life to ask Reborn about himself, the fact that he's apparently never even wondered is too much, IMO. This is the single most influential figure in his life, and he's never once thought to himself, "Just who is this guy, anyway?" That's just ridiculous. (And I did have plenty of questions about Reborn's "real" age myself, but admittedly I didn't realize he'd ever had another form until the hints came along. My old theory was that there was some weird reincarnation bullshit happening or something. XD)

But like I said, it's not his fault that due to being The Main Character of a Manga, he's only ever really allowed to have potentially life-changing reflections like this at Amano's discretion. XD