THIS JUST IN: Yamamoto's fight is amazing

[makeste]

THIS ALSO JUST IN: No one is surprised. :P

(For those who need links--Megaupload and Rapidshare downloads, plus Kirimi's translation since a scanlation isn't out yet.)

1. I swear I will never fall out of love with Shigure Souen Ryu. Pages 5 through 12 of this chapter were amazing and so much fun to read. Gokudera may be my favorite, but Yamamoto totally has the best fights and no one can convince me otherwise.

HERE IS WHY I LOVE YAMAMOTO'S FIGHTS:

(Ch. 198, pg. 12) Genkishi: "I will fight you with my bare hands."
(Ch. 199, pg. 9) Yamamoto: "But you know... I got you to draw your sword."

WAY TO GO GENKISHI, YOU LASTED ALL OF 15 PAGES. And one of those was a two-page spread! That's what happens when you underestimate this kid.

2. SQUALO. OMG YES. I can't think of words to describe just how much I loved him in this chapter. First of all, the fact that he dragged Lussuria along with him to hold up signs and provide commentary was hilarious, and despite all of the epic/pretty Yama action in this chapter, Lussuria standing in the corner giving the peace sign ("HEY MOM I'M ON TV!!") is probably my favorite frame. XD

And second, it amazes me how far the Yamamoto/Squalo epic bond of swordsman rivalry has come since the Varia Arc. Presumably, to this day Yamamoto remains the only person who ever defeated Squalo, and I love that that seems to have spurred on this thing of mutual respect, to the point where Squalo so badly wanted to keep Yama on the path of the sword that he a) FILMED A DISCOVERY CHANNEL SPECIAL, and b) gave him epic mentor-y Batman Begins speeches about OVERCOMING FEAR and WINNING NO MATTER WHAT. He talks directly to Yamamoto like the time and space and camera lenses separating them aren't even there, and what he says has so much of an impact on Yama that when he does feel that fear, fighting Genkishi, he just shrugs it off. "So, I have to win!!"

And God, I just love the last line. "Squalo used his victory to show me a hint to defeating you. The Second Sword Emperor has seen through you--the fact that you lost to him on purpose!" That Squalo would give Yamamoto a hint like that is awesome enough, but the fact that Yamamoto's faith is so absolute that he knows Squalo knew that Genkishi threw the fight? That's even more awesome.

That said...

3. Shigure Kintoki, noooo. :( Maybe I've read one too many chapters of Inuyasha, but it's never a good thing for your sword to crack in the middle of a fight. I can't help but think that at this rate, it's not going to last. I fully expect one of the next few chapters to end on a cliffhanger with the thing shattering to bits. XD YAMA WHAT WILL YOU DO THEN?

4. The HD color page spread is niiiiiiiiiice, as expected. Dino is fairly smallish (and somehow up close he reminds me of a Bleach villain), though. But the rest of the page more than make up for that. Haru looks especially pretty. ♥

5. Can't think of a fifth point to ramble on, but who cares, this chapter had Squalo.

Comments

[morphaileffect.livejournal.com]

still scrounging for a gettable link for the raw, but PLACEHOLDER COMMENT, and just to say 80 CONSECUTIVE WINS! EIGHT! ZERO!! oh squalo (oh lussuria XD XD)

[cleartempest.livejournal.com]

OHGOD SQUALO IS GOING TO BE THERE. YES, I love what little their relationship has been developed and with THIS CHAPTER...GAH, CAN'T WAIT.

[nuclearpez.livejournal.com]

MAYBE YAMA LIVES AS LONG AS HIS SWORD DOES.

too many symbolic stories for me oh god

[azartti.livejournal.com]

Where did you read it? D: All that shininess and I'm missing it!

[downpours.livejournal.com]

OH YAMAMOTO.

[makeste.livejournal.com]

I edited in the download/translation links in case you're still looking (probably should've done that before, sorry XD). <3

[azartti.livejournal.com]

*runs for it* Thanks!

[makeste.livejournal.com]

HAHA, I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE, wow Squalo you sure picked a convenient stopping point to make your speech. XD

[makeste.livejournal.com]

Their relationship is awesome. AND YES, SQUALO, he makes every chapter he's in THAT MUCH BETTER for his having been in it.

[makeste.livejournal.com]

Haha, forget symbolism, what about innuendo? YAMAMOTO WHAT WILL YOU DO IF YOUR SWORD CAN'T KEEP UP IN THIS BATTLE. POWER IT WITH YOUR DYING WIILLL?

[/maturity]

[makeste.livejournal.com]

*fangirls him* <333

[poisontea.livejournal.com]

1. Agreed so much. AND FUCK YEAH. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE YAMAMOTO, SERIOUSLY. See what happens when you underestimate Yamamoto? You end up looking like a fool. And/or being eaten by a shark. YOU KNOW WHAT, now I demand that somehow Genkishi is eaten by a shark too. I don't care how it gets there. It just needs to happen. /crackfail

2. SQUALOOOOOOOOO and also Lussuria. Ugh, this chapter just. Makes me love the bond between those two (Squalo and Yamamoto, not... you know XD) even more. I just... YES, he was addressing him THROUGH THE CAMERA, and he was going to all this trouble to teach him things, and... I don't know, something about that "YOU HAVE TO WIN!!" panel made me wonder whether that was Squalo just being LOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD (aka just being Squalo ;;) or- idk argh maybe it was his expression. He looked- worried? Not worried-worried, like "omg kid!" but just like... he knows exactly how dangerous the Millefiore is- and if that battle really was his "victory" over Genkishi, it might not be too much of a stretch to think that Genkishi worried him, and that he knows full well that Yamamoto really could die. So is kind of going, "Fight this fucker, and he could KILL you, so DON'T LET HIM DAMMIT."

Or something like that, kskfhsakjfah i don't even know anymore, I JUST KNOW I WANT MORE SORTAFRIENDFAGGOTRY BETWEEN THEM NOW. And I ship them even harder, which should not be possible. ): Wtf.

3. I- I can see it too. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'LL DO THEN, BUT IT WILL DOUBTLESS BE EPIC. After this rousing chapter and its speeches, though, he needs to win this fight. I can totally forsee it shattering though, which will make me "akuafhajahgaukagghakujagua!" myself to death. XD;

4. Something about that seems weird to me. I mean. THE SHOT IS. WIERD? Something about the placement of the characters. I'm trying not to read anything into it because god that would be retarded, but... Bianchi and Fuuta are over by the Millefiore people for some reason, and Colonello is near the Varia, and Xanxus looks hella young while the rest of them are all TYL, and- I dunno, it's just kinda odd. Odd setup. Really pretty, though. XD

5. HERE'S A FIFTH POINT FOR YA. I keep hoping he'll win in this fashion, though I doubt he will, cos I've had the mental image in my head for months now. I just have this picture of Genkishi coming up behind him and Yamamoto pulling a Squalo- swiveling his sword around into a reverse-grip, swinging the sword around behind himself, and letting Genkishi impale himself, like Squalo thought he'd done in the culmination of the Rain Battle. I DON'T KNOW WHY I THINK THAT'S SO GD COOL, BUT IT WILL NOT LEAVE MY BRAIN. ;; Th-thoughts/theories/agreements/disagreements/STFU's?

[morphaileffect.livejournal.com]

wait, does that mean genkishi was his 80th win, or he just stopped at 80 for dramatic effect? :O

that said, yama's fights all rock and therefore this chapter is GREAT, although it really does feel a bit rushed after the epic battle between goku and gamma. i wish i could complain but, yanno, yama kicking ass in 15 pages is never a bad thing XD

also, DINO. not one of his best shots, def. i hate that hair. what happened to his seductive silky smooth locks!!!

and i still don't know who the white-haired guy beside him is. too vague to be 100% shamal.

[makeste.livejournal.com]

1. OMG, shark running gag would be the best thing ever. Forget just this fight, NOW I WANT ALL HIS FIGHTS TO END WITH A SHARK.

2. AHH I TOTALLY KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. It was like one of those, "DAMMIT IF YOU DIE, I'LL KILL YOU" things, and you're not the only one who got that vibe. And I really wouldn't be surprised if Genkishi was number 80, because the way he's talking is just so specific--like, it's not just general "Hey, there comes a time when a man and his sword have to come together and kick ass" sort of thing; it's like he knew Yamamoto would end up in this exact situation. Facing an opponent who "frightens him to the core of his very being", but in a battle he can't avoid. It's hard to think that he could have been referring to anyone but Genkishi.

3. Yeah, it's not gonna be pretty. I don't doubt that he'll figure out something awesome either, but I'm still gonna spaz when it happens.

4. Eh, looking at it, I kind of get the feeling that Amano kinda just started drawing all the main good guys on one side, and all the main baddies on the other, and then once they were done, started filling in the remaining space with whatever characters she could fit. Would explain the random. XD At any rate, soprettyomg. *_*

5. That would be AWESOME. And we already know that TYL!Yama added Attaco di Squalo to his arsenal, so there's totally some precedent. Especially if Shigure Kintoki breaks and he's not restricted to only Shigure Souen Ryu attacks. XD

Kind of reminds me of Samurai Champloo, where toward the end of the series, Mugen and Jin developed this tendency to sometimes use each other's attacks. IT'S TOTALLY A GAY SWORDSMEN THING.

[makeste.livejournal.com]

I think it could be either/or, but if Genkishi really was number 80 it would be awesome, and also make his speech that much more relevant. XD

I think it'll probably go on for a few more chapters--Dera's fight lasted a bit longer than I thought it would, and he got off to a strong start too. But either way, at least we can be pretty sure Yama's fight won't disappoint. so badass wheeee

...I kinda like Dino's hair, actually. XD HIS FACE LOOKS A LITTLE WEIRD ON CLOSER INSPECTION, but the hair. I DUNNO, IT'S PRETTY FABULOUS. XDD

I'm pretty sure it is Shamal; can't think who else it would be. Would be nice to SEE HIS FACE though sigh. We don't even know if he's alive in this arc; I've been wondering about it for a while, actually.

[poisontea.livejournal.com]

1. Shark should totally have been his box animal. SPRINGS OUT AT THE END OF THE FIGHT TO CHAWMP THE ENEMY, then goes back into the box.

Everyone: ...
Squalo: ... god dammit kid.
Yamamoto: ^^

2. *nodnodNOD* And I just got that vibe from the fact that it was that fight that lead to Yamamoto telling Genkishi that Squalo showed him how to beat him when the threw the fight- just makes it tie all together. ♥ AND YES! "If you die, I'll kill you" pretty much sums it up. ... Also, because of your "there comes a time when a man and his sword have to come together and kick ass" thing, I now not only firmly believe that Squalo somehow magically added more gay to this chapter than Lussuria ever could, he also turned into Kamina for a minute there. ... orz. XDDDDD

3. M-me too. Maybe his ring energy will replace the blade. JEDI YAMAMOTO HAHA LOOK GUYS 8D- *shot XD*

4. That makes sense! It would explain some of the order a lot better XD because most of it looks planned out, but then the little bits of it are pretty random. I have a feeling that's what happened, now that you come to mention it. ;;

5. Oh, there's GAY SWORDSMAN PRECEDENCE for it? Well shit, man, now it totally has to happen. XD I do like that Squalo was the one who had him going "haha oh yeah I forgot Shigure Souen is unbeatable ^^" again, though. That was pret. GAY SWORDSMAN itself. XD

[makeste.livejournal.com]

1. A wild GENKISHI has appeared!

Go! Sharpedo!

GENKISHI uses GIANT SHOUNEN VILLAIN EGO!

It's not very effective!

SHARPEDO uses BITE!

IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!

Wild GENKISHI fainted!

"Ha ha, good match! I think I leveled up!"
"DAMN IT, YAMAMOTO, IT'S NOT A GAME!!"

2. "VOOOOOOIII! LISTEN UP, KATANA BRAT! BELIEVE IN ME WHO BELIEVES IN YOUUUUUU!"

Ability to take chapter seriously... fading... fading... gone. XD

3. Okay, if Yamamoto gets a lightsaber, I am just going to die of epic. XD

5. INDEED. And yeah, that was great. I think it's because Squalo reminded him of the way he fought in the ring battle. At any rate it was a great scene, and THERE WAS DEFINITELY SOME GAY INVOLVED.

[poisontea.livejournal.com]

1. o-ooooh fuck oh fuck I just cracked the hell up at your ENTIRE POST holy crap. XDDDD YOU WIN. Yamamoto would TOTALLY treat this as a Pokemon game. XD I WANT TO SEE ONE OF THE BOX ANIMALS LEVEL UP NOW like... literally level up. Though I suppose Uri did evolve...

2. If anyone deserves volcanos exploding in the background while they make epic battle speeches and badass-pwn enemies, it's definitely Squalo. XD I want to see him and Kamina getting into a shouting match, now.

3. I will laugh, and laugh, and laugh. And love the series so much. ♥ I have a feeling after quite a few chapters where it was boring most of the fandom, it's getting back on track with a vengeance now! ♥

5. Randomly, I love the fact that Lussuria apparently doesn't know who Squalo is sending the videos to. Oddly enough. And I wonder why. I lol'd at the "UH SQUALO WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO? ;;" bit XD

DAMMIT CANON STOP SUPPORTING MY SQUALO/YAMAMOTO SHIP SO HARD. >_> Only don't. Ever. Ever.

[makeste.livejournal.com]

1. Haha, Yamamoto treats it like a game anyway, so it totally wouldn't be too much of a stretch. And yeah, especially since we now know Uri can transform, I really want to know if any of the others can as well. THEY'RE GAINING A TON OF EXPERIENCE POINTS.

2. Battle of the century? XD

3. ME TOO. ♥ And even though I've been enjoying all of the previous chapters, I have to agree. You just can't go wrong with a Varia cameo and a Yama battle.

5. Makes me wonder what the hell Lussuria thought Squalo was going to do with all that video. VARIA MOVIE NIGHT? XD Squalo probably just bullied him into helping. "IT'S A SWORDSMAN THIIIIIIING NOW SHUT UP AND HOLD THE SIGN!"