I should be asleep.

[makeste]

But I am not!


1. Hello there, Gokudera, aren't we looking incredibly female today! Did Amano accidentally copy-paste your torso onto Bianchi's hips? Well, no matter, I suppose, seeing as this is the only page in this chapter in which you're not looking incredibly attractive. Move along, move along.


2. I would just like to point out that page two is LITERALLY the only page in this entire chapter that does not have Gokudera on it. FUCK YOU, PAGE TWO.

You notice how everyone in the bottom panel is actually standing around LOOKING for Gokudera? IT'S BECAUSE THEY KNEW SOMETHING WAS AFOUL.


3. LOL, it's okay everyone, he's perky. |D

And okay, I'll bite--exactly WHEN did he injure his back?? This was the only panel we got of him fighting Torikabuto and co., and he freaking BLOCKED THE ATTACK. And here we see him again, tsuning at Ryohei's awesomeness. Note that this is after the illusiony funtimes, and HE IS CLEARLY STILL INTACT. And yet, four pages later he's suddenly down for the count? It doesn't add up, dammit. Which annoys me (it annoyed me back then and it annoys me still!), because his being injured BUT NOBLY FIGHTING ANYWAY was like the main plot point for this whole chapter, and yet the injury itself is completely RANDOM and UNEXPLAINED.

The only reason I'm not complaining even more is because it turned out to be an awesome plot point.


4. Awww, he actually said exactly what everyone's been thinking. XD Suddenly I feel bad for whining about his recent string of failures. I DIDN'T MEAN TO PRESSURE YOU, HONEY.

And Lal wants to be cool too. |D And of course Tsuna says he won't allow it, and under normal circumstances his concern for his subordinates would be admirable, except that this is the friggin' END OF THE WORLD we're talking about, as opposed to, "Sweetie, I don't think you should play in the football game this Saturday because your back is still bothering you." This is when you have to start thinking a little harder about those judgment calls, tiny boss. XD


5. ...So yeah, unfortunately, in the end Zakuro's freak transformation turned out to be just as hilarious as the other two, just in a different way. XD He looks like Crazy!Psycho!Kyuubi!Naruto except with flaming wings instead of tails. Which, I must admit, apparently makes all the difference, because he does somehow manage to be at least a little intimidating in spite of the lulz.

It's times like this I wonder where Basil has wandered off to.

But seriously, look at his face! THOSE TEETH! I don't know whether to laugh or cry.


6. Okay, I couldn't help but kind of awww and at the same time be amused that Dera is actually concerned over Gamma. XD I mean, OF COURSE HE IS, THE FOOL JUST GOT NAILED BY A T-REX, but a part of me still can't help but remember that this is the guy who ALMOST TORTURED HIM TO DEATH what, barely a month ago? And then they became rivals, and now they're good buds. That is like, the essence of shounen right there.

Hell, and at least Gamma got an exclamation point. Lal just gets dots. Lal...! ;_;


7. HELL YEAAAAHHH. URI, FORM CHAAAAAANGE...

INTO THE G. ARCHERY (???), ALSO KNOWN AS, "SEXY BOW THAT IS ON FIRE AND IS SEXY"!!

OBSERVATIONS:

• Stormy the First's bow is clearly NOT on fire, and thus inferior, though he tries to make up for it with that sexy flame tattoo of his. (And SUCCEEDS! But don't tell him that, it'll only boost his ego which is clearly already through the roof. JUST LOOK AT THAT SMUG, SMUG, SEXY... I'm sorry, I lost my train of thought there.)
  
• Oh my God, and Stormy Primo also fought with a gun. Somehow that's really hot.
  
• Lol at his old-school cigarette. How long ago were the first gen guys running around, anyway? I know this has come up at the comm recently; what was it, like a hundred years or so? Well, okay, I guess they had cigarettes then, so it's all good.
  
• Gokudera's storm gun thingy now suddenly looks like a futuristic sports car that is also on fire for some reason.
  
• You can't see it because the panel cuts him off, but I guarantee you that Gokudera's shirt is flying up. You can't fight the laws of nature.
  
• HOT. I don't feel this can be said enough. HOT HOT HOT. <3333

Ahem.


8. And now we get to the serious business part of the chapter. |D Tsuna starts to replicate his speech during the Storm Ring battle almost word-for-word, but this time, SOMETHING IS DIFFERENT! Namely, that Gokudera has decided to defy the Tenth for the first time ever omg. WHAT WILL COME OF THIS?


9. Why, a cheesy shounen speech and moment of character development, of course! "Throughout the many battles we've fought in together, I've come to realize that the right arm you need is not just strong and fearless in the face of danger. The right arm I aim to become now is different from the past. The right arm of Vongola Decimo that I aim for is... one who is able to share laughter with the boss, and does whatever he can to survive for that sake!"

;_________________;

Do I even need to say just how far Gokudera has come as a character for him to be able to say that? He just acknowledged that strength is not the most important thing, and that his own survival, on the other hand, is important (Deraaaaa ;_; HAVE YOU FINALLY DEVELOPED SELF-WORTH??). And on top of that, he did this all while TAKING A STAND AGAINST THE TENTH for the very first time because it's that important. And he talks about "us." Not just him and Tsuna, us--"Tenth and the family and I and not one soul missing", and that's the biggest thing of all, because it shows that he might have finally started really thinking of himself as part of that family, and THAT IS JUST A REALLY DAMNED BIG DEAL, OKAY?


10. And just look at him go. If that doesn't punch a hole right through DinoZakuro after a speech like THAT, there's no hope for the world. I eagerly anticipate the next chapter in which we discuss possibilities for Zakuro's tombstone. |D


And since it's now 2 am and I've made about fifty million typos during the course of typing this up, OFF TO BED I GO.