My God, it feels like it's been a decade since the last chapter.

[makeste]

|D


1. Yay, we got the cover. And a color page! How long has it been since we had a nice shiny color page? Too long, I say.

Also, wait, so that's what the character poll all those eons ago (seriously, it took half a year to finally get these results up) was about? I thought the vote was supposed to be who fans thought would win, not which fight would be the coolest. Whoops. XD

That said, I once again find myself a bit disappointed by the Japanese fandom. The winning battle is all well and good (and #2 is also fun times), but fights #3 and #4? Why vote for a battle that we've either a) already seen (well, if training counts, anyway), or b) already know the victor of, without a doubt (assuming that Tsuna didn't kick Gokudera's ass, Gokudera would totally just forfeit anyway. WAKE ME UP WHEN THIS ONE IS FINISHED). Meanwhile, certain fights that would be completely awesome and that I would absolutely love to see (GOKUDERA VS YAMAMOTO! TYL!YAMAMOTO VS TYL!SQUALO!!!1) aren't even in the top five. Mammon vs Fran is all the way at #15, for God's sake. I AM SAD.


2. I can't help but chuckle at Tsuna being an action hero. "I'M GOING IN." *POSE* And Reborn's all like, "We're counting on you! EXCEPT THAT ABSOLUTELY NONE OF YOUR TYPICAL WEAPONS WILL WORK. REMEMBER THAT." It's good that we have someone practical in this group. XD

I interpreted the last panel as Kyoko and Haru being horrified that Tsuna gave Uni such a questionably motivated smile. Then I clicked on the next page and it turned out they were just being worried but supportive as per usual. I like my first guess better because at least it was interesting. Sigh.

Man, Tsuna, when did you get an entire harem, anyway? And to think you used to have lady troubles. You'd never even know now...


3. Come on, Amano, we had to wait three whole weeks for this chapter and you spend five whole pages (well, three, technically, BUT STILL) on Tsuna doing the same damn thing that he was doing at the end of the last chapter? JUST LEAVE ALREADY, TSUNA, GEEZ.


4. Ah, now that's better. NAKED GHOST, I'VE ALMOST MISSED YOU.

And wow, I know Gokudera's been doing that whole "bonding with his enemies" thing much more frequently lately, but I think this must be a record. He's already pressing Kikyou for information like they're actually on the same side. XD Well, desperate times...

Though it could also just be that he has a thing with not liking people turning on their own allies, whether they happen to be his enemies or not. He had a similar reaction back when Gamma was explaining his flashback. Loyalty and betrayal and all that; I think it pings him in his Issues.

ETA: Forgot to say--RIP, Zakuro. XD


5. I know this is just a hologram, but it looks for all the world like Ghost's head floating in a jar on Byakuran's desk. And you know, doesn't that strike you as exactly the sort of thing Byakuran would actually do? I'm just saying.


6. --OH SNAP. *high-fives everyone who put forth the whole "it's a parallel Byakuran from one of the other universes" theory* It's so nice to know that the fans actually can anticipate what direction Amano will go in every once and a while. XD

And he brought him (but apparently not his clothes... and apparently not his manhood??) to this universe after destroying this one, only the technology failed and he ended up becoming "a mutant who sucks up any dying will flames in his path"? BYAKURAN, THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF SCIENCE FICTION. Or it would if we weren't talking about a guy in the future who communicates with himself in parallel worlds and wants to rule the universe with a bunch of rings.

By the way, how fantastic is it that he seems to have absolutely no problem with any of this? I mean, it's his own parallel self, and he completely fucked him up and is basically using him as his invincible little mindless pawn. And he's totally cool with that. Byakuran 2010 status: Still a dick.


7. I'm glad Basil confirmed that physical attacks don't work, because now I can be confidently assured that they really are screwed. XD

And amidst all this chaos, I really like that Gokudera seems to be the only one who's still thinking about the big picture, even now. He's the one who thinks to ask Kikyou what the hell is up with Ghost, he's the one who reminds them that they can't abandon their mission because they still have to protect Uni, etc. That's what I like to see in our future right hand man. |D


8. OH

MY

GOD

YES

YAMAMOTO IS BAAAAAACK

AND HE BROUGHT A SQUALO. AND ALSO A DINO. OHLY SHIT I'M SO HAPPY I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO CORRECT THAT TYPO. 8DDD IN FACT THAT'S GOING TO BE MY NEW EXPRESSION OF HAPPINESS FROM NOW ON. OHLY SHIT.

And what a godmodey entrance. AS EXPECTED OF OUR RAIN GUARDIAN. Saving Gokudera and Ryohei, somehow knowing by MAGIC about Ghost's flame absorption ability (or maybe it was the radio, but whatever), having perfect shounen timing... I'd almost forgotten how much I love this man.


9. Aww, and Xanxus and Squalo got... as much of a reunion panel as they're ever going to get, I suppose. XD That's just how things are in the Varia.

I think that's also the first line and/or panel Mukuro's gotten in this entire chapter. I guess with this many characters to keep track of, Amano's starting to forget some of them. Well, but he got more than enough page time in the last couple chapters anyway.

BUT WAIT, WHAT'S THIS--!?


10. --a really anticlimactic panel! XD

Oh wait, no, it's Tsuna! And he's going to attempt the Zero Point Breakthrough; awesome. I was wondering if that would even work against Ghost's ability (on the one hand, Ghost is absorbing everyone else's flames, but on the other, he doesn't seem to have any actual flames of his own); guess we're about to find out.


So, getting kind of epic up in here. Oh KHR, how I missed you.