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ITP: Plot.
Yes, this arc of awesome daily life and vegetables and Shitt P actually has a plot! I'm excited. Are you excited? I HOPE SO.1. I just have to say, IMO this week's SJ cover is by far the best color illustration Amano's ever done. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS SEXY AND ATTRACTIVE AND SEXY, UNF. IT'S SO MAFIA-Y and Hibari looks good and Ryohei looks good and Lambo looks good and Gokudera looks good, and if Yamamoto ever looked at me like that I might jump him right on the spot, and possibly Chrome too, and Tsuna. Oh my, Tsuna. He just looks so calm and confident and he's NOT in Hyper Mode for once in his life (I always preferred normal Tsuna; idk if that makes me weird), and would you just look at him sitting on that chair that probably costs more than my house looking every inch the young mafioso? No wonder Reborn looks so content chilling out there in his pimp suit. He's done his job well.
I honest to God could spend an hour just basking in the awesomeness of this page, and fully intend to come back to it later and drool over it some more, but in the meantime we're just getting started, because SIX YEARS OF KHR, EVERYONE. CELEBRATE!
And that means that we have yet another color page, a double-spread in fact! And you can so tell that not even half the effort went into this one as the cover, or at least such is my assumption because EVERYONE LOOKS WEIRD but I don't care because OH MY GOD IT'S BYAKURAN. AND TYL!SHOU! Neither of which I ever expected to see again, and yet here they are in color page form. IT'S A GOOD FUCKING DAY.
And I guess "Shimon" really is supposed to be romanized as "Simon", but hell if I'm going to make the change now when I'm already set in my ways. If only they had mentioned this on the last color page. I guess we should just be grateful that Large got romanized in time before Raruji or whatever actually became the fandom standard.
2. ...and now I start to wonder if that cover image was in fact so good that all of the other pages are going to suffer from it, because man is that one awkward shot of Gokudera on the bottom right. XD Though I suppose it's understandable, given that he just found out that HIS HEROES the Giegue family got their asses handed to them. Quite possibly literally, given Reborn's extremely unsettling comment on the following page. 8|
And gosh, Adelheid, that's not a suspicious reaction at ALL. Nope. Not in the slightest.
3. Fortunately, Tsuna's loyal batch of minions is determined not to let anything interfere with the ceremony! So don't you even worry about it, boss, they've got everything covered! WHAT'S THAT, YOU SAY? YOU DON'T ACTUALLY WANT TO GO THROUGH WITH THE CEREMONY? PSHAW, THAT'S JUST CRAZY TALK. YOU'RE SO CRAZY, TSUNA.
So everyone runs off to partake in Gokudera's new favorite hobby, PATROLING FOR SUSPICIOUS PEOPLE. Even Tsuna's new boyfriend, though he takes a moment first to bid farewell to his true love Nuts. And then Reborn's all like, "GEE TSUNA WHAT'S WRONG" as if he doesn't fucking know already, but you gotta love that awesome shit-eating grin on his face.
4. Anyway, Tsuna finally flips out (though actually, that was sooner than I expected) and screams that he's not going to the ceremony and YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!, and Reborn's all "well, that's not my problem, go complain to my boss and his host club of sexy old men." And because life is good, said posse of attractive old people pulls up right outside Tsuna's house THAT VERY MOMENT, and Tsuna catches his first glimpse of Ganauche III and has his third heart attack of the chapter, which no one can blame him for.
5. I wonder if anyone raised any eyebrows when this group of rich, well-dressed senior citizens apparently kidnapped a young teenage boy and took him to a hotel. >_> Well, either way, this is like the single most mafiaish thing that has ever happened in the entire manga up to this point, and I am kind of excited as hell.
--Oh my God the Ninth is Linderman from Heroes. Tell me I'm not the only one who sees this. XD
6. Not that I'm saying he's a supervillain or anything. Actually, he's so damn smiley that he's kinda creeping me out just a little bit! But I just got that "I may seem like a harmless old man, but don't believe for a second that I'm not still serious business" vibe. Look at the way he anticipated the fact that Tsuna is still reluctant about becoming the Tenth, and, rather than waiting for Tsuna to bring it up, beat him to the punch and then started passive-aggressively guilt-tripping him over it. Bringing up Uni to add insult to injury, and then basically saying that Tsuna is the mafia's only hope for GOODNESS AND LOVE. Ninth, you sly dog.
7. Ooh, but this is nice; we finally get some insight into the whole "you understand my will" thing. It's true, Primo's been all in favor of Tsuna's "FUCK YOU VONGOLA" attitude from the beginning. So I guess Tsuna is the only one who can bring balance to the Force and turn Vongola into the fluffy mafia Giotto always meant it to be.
8. And now the timing of the ceremony is starting to make a lot more sense. When I first read the spoilers for this chapter it all seemed insane, because why the hell would Timoteo schedule the Inheritance Ceremony on such short notice knowing full well that Tsuna didn't want to go through with it? But it's all part of his master scheme. If he really did see Tsuna's battle with Byakuran, then he understands that even though Tsuna is dead-set against the whole mafia thing, he's still the type who will accept that role under very specific circumstances; namely, if it's to protect people. So Nono's plan is to guilt him with the whole "YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN RESTORE THE VONGOLA FROM ITS CORRUPT STATE AND END THE CYCLE OF MURDER AND HATRED" thing and then only give him one fucking day to think about it, and because Tsuna is just a kid and prone to totally crumpling under pressure he almost has no choice but to say yes under those circumstances.
I seem to recall Reborn saying at some point or other that the Ninth's power lay in his charisma--"he's the type of person people are willing to lay down their lives for", or something like that--and man, you can really see that here. The guy knows how to manipulate. But I can't help but think this is really kind of a dick move on his part.
9. And you see, it's working! Already Tsuna is being a doubty mcdoubter and having second thoughts and struggling because he doesn't want to but now he feels like he might have a responsibility to do it, and WELL-PLAYED, NINTH. WELL-PLAYED. Who can possibly put a stop to this cycle of events now?
KOZATO ENMA, THAT'S WHO. Well, moment of truth now, Enma my boy. Don't let me down, or I will look like a total chump with all of my foolish theories. XD
10. Sob they actually confirmed that the Ninth was being a manipulative bastard. OH, NINTH. You said all those pretty things and then you want Tsuna to drink this creepy bottle of FUCKING SIN. Oh my God they want to corrupt this pure and innocent child and this is by far the most disturbing turn of events that have ever happened in this manga and I toss that term around like every other week but SERIOUSLY. AND REBORN IS IN ON IT TOO? REBORN?!
Holy shit.
This arc just got totally hardcore.
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And you're being slowly influenced by the power of the Headshotted summaries, I see. ^^
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Haha, well
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But I thought the sin thing was a bullet, not a bottle. Doesn't it look like a bullet? I bet it's gonna be another trial for Tsuna. Hopefully he'll MAN UP... or fail and then YOUR THEORY HAPPENS.
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It looks a little more like a bottle to me because it looks like there's a liquid in there, but it could be a bullet too, now that you mention it. The spoilers we got earlier referred to it as a bottle, so most likely that's what I saw because that's what I was expecting. XD
And that sounds about right; either it's a trial and Tsuna will have to step up to the plate, or TERRIBLE THINGS WILL HAPPEN and betrayal and evil!Enma and so on, which is awesomesauce too. Either way, I'm starting to think there's no way this arc can possibly go wrong.
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But I honestly don't have any real theories as to what it is right now. I feel like there are so many possibilities that I might as well let canon give us a little more to work with before I go making shots in the dark.
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...He's totally like Linderman, though.
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AND HE SO IS. I wish I could find that clip from season 1 where he first meets Nathan and he's cooking and he's just this sweet, kindly old man who just happens to be plotting to blow up New York City. XD
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he was going to blow up new york for the greater good, though! To add more lulz, I almost replied with my Gellert Grindelwald RP account.
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That's true. IT WAS ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE, REALLY. XD
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And gosh, Adelheid, that's not a suspicious reaction at ALL. Nope. Not in the slightest. That little sliver of her face really just says it all, doesn't it?
I love how everyone is like DON'T WORRY TSUNA, WE'LL MAKE SURE THE CEREMONY GOES PERFECTLY and then rushes out before he can say otherwise. They know him well!
Tsuna is the only one who can bring balance to the Force and turn Vongola into the fluffy mafia Giotto always meant it to be. I'm just quoting this bit so I can read it again. It's like Rock God Fairy Princess Fireworks Byakuran; MORE HILARIOUS EVERY TIME.
The Ninth is really good at this whole guilt-trip thing, huh. :DDDDDD *extreme happiness and admiration because someone's ACTUALLY ACTING LIKE A MAFIA BOSS for once*
I think the hardcore-ness was ruined for me when I totally didn't see the 'sin' panel and thought 'Vongola's . . . lipstick? What?'
Pssst! You forgot your tags.
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I love how everyone is like DON'T WORRY TSUNA, WE'LL MAKE SURE THE CEREMONY GOES PERFECTLY and then rushes out before he can say otherwise.
I don't know if that was intentional comedy or not, but I sure was cracking up at that entire scene. And I want a copy of whatever dictionary/encyclopedia Giotto used when he first looked up the concept of a mafia. XD
And yeah, it's so cool to find out that the current head of the Vongola is actually a scheming manipulative bastard. Finally a shady guy who's not out-and-out evil like Byakuran, but hardly a champion of truth and justice either. "ACTUALLY ACTING LIKE A MAFIA BOSS" indeed. Michael Corleone would be proud.
Lol, I already knew what it was from the spoilers, or I might have been confused as well.
And haha, thanks. I actually just had to run out before I could add them to the post, but they are up now. |D
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Vongola could totally break into the cosmetics business, don't tell them they can't! It would totally be fitting for the better and brighter tomorrow thing, too, since a lot of the 'edgy' brands are not just settling with saying 'we don't do animal testing' but outright condemning it on their disclaimers.
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And Tsuna having to drink that bottle of SIN...ouch. ;_;
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I am really concerned for Tsuna, and I feel silly because a) FICTIONAL CHARACTER and b) he's also the main character and the hero and so I'm sure nothing too bad would ever actually happen to him... but still. I'm worried. When the Ninth was describing all of Tsuna's failboss traits (crybaby, indecisive, kind, cares for his companions), I was thinking, "oh wow, he pretty much summed up everything I love about Tsuna", but now with the twist on the last page, I'm afraid those are the exact traits they're gonna try to pry out of him somehow. Idk. OR MAYBE I'M JUST PARANOID. :/
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THERE IS NO MUKURO SOBS BUT OH WELL AT LEAST HE IS ON THE SECOND COLOR SPREAD AND I THINK I WOULD HAVE BEEN 'WTF' IF IT WEREN'T CHROME ANYWAYS
I wonder if anyone raised any eyebrows...
I admit I didn't even bat an eyelash XD poor Tsuna.
LOL THAT HOTEL LOOKS JUST LIKE THE ONE VARIA STAYED IN DURING THE RING ARC
AWWW TSUNA CALLED NINTH 'GRANDPA' AND THE ATTRACTIVE OLD PEOPLE ARE LIKE =^___^= lmao
That was one smiley freaky convo, yeah O_o AND OMG UNI. NOW HE FEELS BAD BECAUSE UNI DIED
FOR THEIR SINS))): he did sound convincing though, Tsuna used to just be content that he wasn't involved in any violence and now he feels bad because he could have (or so he's told) put a stop to it. idk .__. Tsunaaa >:Enma and Tsuna need to elope already jfc. >|||
You said all those pretty things and then you want Tsuna to drink this creepy bottle of FUCKING SIN.
SDGLKASFDHGLKAGSDLK IDEK...This arc just got totally hardcore. THIS. JUST. THIS.
Although, I don't think Reborn is going to let anything bad happen to Tsuna. I mean, he's put Tsuna in a lot of bad situations but never one that he couldn't handle... ._. t-this chapter...
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I WOULD HAVE BEEN 'WTF' IF IT WEREN'T CHROME ANYWAYS
I JUST PICTURED MUKURO SITTING THERE COYLY IN CHROME'S PLACE AND NOW I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING.
Lol, well I actually meant the people in the manga-universe. You know, like Tsuna's neighbors. But I suppose they've seen so much crazy shit go down at Tsuna's place that they probably wouldn't bat any eyelashes either.
I GUESS THAT'S JUST LIKE THE MAFIA HOTEL OR SOMETHING.
I like to think the Nono guardians are totally going to tease Timoteo about all of this later on. "OH NINTH, YOUR GRANDSON IS SO CUTE. AND HE'S GETTING SO BIG, I GUESS THAT MUST MAKE YOU FEEL REALLY FUCKING OLD THERE, GRAMPS," and so on.
I feel so bad for Tsuna. I just want to hug him and tell the Ninth to SHUT HIS FOOL MOUTH, except not really because I wanted angst, after all. WELL, I GOT ANGST. So really, I'm the one who ought to be shutting up now. XD
I expect the next chapter will focus on Enma and Tsuna as they plan their upcoming wedding in great detail.
And I'm really curious to see what Reborn's role will be in all this, because I honestly don't know what to expect. Do his loyalties really lie with the Ninth, or is his thinking more in line with Primo's and Tsuna's? Will he really let his cute little fail!pupil go through with this, or will he do something to put a stop to it? It's Reborn, so it could go either way and I wouldn't be surprised. Man I want to see what happens where is the next chapterrrrrrrrrrrr. :|
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And I see more old chapter summaries up too! ... Promise I won't spam you too much?And onwards to my own wayward comments:
1 - Tsuna. Needs to stop looking so much like jailbait. Because he looks pretty damn good as a young mafioso about to become the Godfather. And you're right. That image is made ten times better by the fact that he's actually not in hyper dying will mode there. I'm starting to see him more and more as a capable leader (well, when he's quiet and not throwing a tantrum about not wanting to become gangsta).
2 - I'm kind of hoping Adelheid is or at least knows the 'female fighter' that's involved in this disrupt the Inheritance Cermony fiasco. It's probably a little too much to hope for, but damn it would be a nice twist if the Shimon gang was just pretending to be exact counterparts to gain their trust. That's kind of far-fetched on my part, but crazier things have happened in this series. I would think I'm prepared for anything now, too .... and yet I already know I'm horribly wrong on that account, so very, very wrong.
I mean, vegetables playing baseball. I have officially seen everything now. xD ... I should suggest supporting the food pyramid by dressing up as fruits and veggies at my team's next practice. But. That would probably be abusing my power as captain. Darn.3 - And then Reborn's all like, "GEE TSUNA WHAT'S WRONG" as if he doesn't fucking know already, but you gotta love that awesome shit-eating grin on his face. That is seriously my favorite scene in this chapter. Just ... I love Reborn's antics so much. If we ever get to see future/adult Reborn, I hope he never loses any of these qualities.
From cosplaying, to stating the obvious, gotta love Reborn's quirky little personality.4 - Host club of sexy men. Enough said. Brb loling. Because damn, no truer words have been spoken. This manga needed more sexy old guys and Amano does not disappoint. And it must be some unwritten rule that all Vongola successors will, at some point in time, have their own personal harem or something. Eye-candy. The mafia world would obviously not be complete without it.
5 - I bet one of the neighbors even phoned the police. "Hello, officer? That young man, you know the one, always running through the streets in that indecent manner? Well, he's just been kidnapped!" "Ma'am, we're afraid there have been too many complaints made already against one Sawada Tsunayoshi for us to process any more at this point in time. We're sorry to hear he's been kidnapped, but at least it might be quiet for a little while." For some reason, I could see the whole police force having a general apathy for Tsuna, what with all the indecent exposure incidents in the past, plus much, much more.
Like property damages thanks to Gokudera. Oh, and that one time Haru scared Tsuna by dressing as a Namahage and they both wound up at the police station.(... and you have personally piqued my interest in Heroes. I must watch this sometime.)6 - Finally, we find out why the Ninth has made it to the ripe old age of who-knows-what. And, as a bonus, we get a Tsuna and Ninth pep talk conversation before the Inheritance Cermony. Full of nothing but flat-out manipulation in the nicest way possible. jsldjls Yes, the old man has charisma, there is no denying that. But poor Tsuna is more or less caught between a rock and a hard place. (The only thing missing from this part of the chapter - Tsuna and some ninth gen. Guardian interaction. But that. Well, that I can wait for.)
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sparkly sparks flyingstrange ring related feelings.10 - Amano. Is good at revealing fucking epic plot twists. So that's what Giotto meant by inheriting the Vongola's 'sin'? Just ... what the hell are they trying to do to a kid who hasn't even hit puberty yet?
... But agreed. Now this is what we've been waiting. Hardcore is a go. Bring on the mafia and all its shady, underworld glory.
I have to stop taking so long to reply to these things XD
Anyway, welcome back! It's good to see you, heh.
1. I'm starting to see him more and more as a capable leader (well, when he's quiet and not throwing a tantrum about not wanting to become gangsta).
That just so perfectly sums up Tsuna. I cracked up. XD
2. Adelheid is definitely the female fighter they were talking about, and it's looking more and more like the Shimon WERE just bonding with them in order to gain their trust, so I'd hardly call it far-fetched. Actually, I don't know if anything is too far-fetched for this series. XD
3. Adult!Reborn was totally just as shameless as babyninja Reborn in my book. If canon ever says otherwise I will just be like, "NO THAT IS WRONG."
4. This makes me curious to see what the 2nd through 8th generation guardians all looked like. I'd kill to get my hands on an old Vongola family album or something. "WOW EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS BOOK IS AMAZINGLY ATTRACTIVE, IT'S ALMOST LIKE READING PORN!"
5. Lol, thinking back on all the trouble he and his gang of ruffians caused in the Daily Life alone, Tsuna probably IS on the police's "fuck that guy" list. I guess in that regard, he's doomed whether or not he becomes a mafia boss. XD (And season one of Heroes is pretty awesome, but unfortunately the awesomeness drops considerably in the later seasons. XD)
6. Amano's characterization of the Ninth in this chapter really caught me off-guard. But in a good way. And I agree about the unfortunate lack of Tsuna/Nono Guardian interaction, although we did at least get some amazing reaction faces on Ganauche's part.
9. WE DID INDEED GET THAT SHY LITTLE BOY CONVERSATION, though it turned out to be more plotty than I expected. But I'm not complaining about that (and it's not like we didn't get plenty of cute as well). And haha, yeah, indecisiveness is like Tsuna's most defining characteristic. "WHAT DO I DO??!" is practically his catchphrase. XD
10. I'm still kind of taken aback that when they were talking about inheriting the sin of the Vongola, THEY MEANT IT ALL LITERALLY. How do you even do that literally. WHAT THE HELL IS IN THAT BOTTLE, dammit, Amano, you and your epic cliffhangers. :(
But yeah, bring on the plot and the badass and the angst. Hell yeah. :D
It all evens out in the end, no worries.
5. The sooner Tsuna faces facts that he's screwed either way, the better.
6. Ganauche. He just makes everything that much more awesome. Damn him and his hot self just waltzing onto scene like he owns the place.
9. WE DID! Cue the fangirling over the newest, most jaded canon pairing. But man, Enma sure knows how to pull at the heart strings. That last page made me want to give him a hug, what with him looking all betrayed and alone.
10. I starting to get the feeling the sin involves the Shimon Family somehow. Maybe the Primo had to trade something to get the power he has and it involved hurting the Shimon Family in the process? ... More back-story on the First would be nice. Amano needs to stop being such a tease.
Re: It all evens out in the end, no worries.
9. Poor Enma, tricked by an unfortunate twist of fate into believing that his one last hope for a new dawn of mafia peace stood him up. DAMN YOU, LAMBO AND I-PIN.
10. Backstory on Primo would be nice indeed. Though IIRC, the anime is going to be addressing that in the next episode, so I guess we'll see how that goes. And ever since Reborn said that the Shimon were one of the oldest mafia families, I've been dying to know if there's a deeper Shimon/Vongola connection than we've been led to believe. Well, with the ceremony only a day away in canon, I guess we'll get a few answers before too long.
Re: It all evens out in the end, no worries.
Maybe we can find them for half price somewhere, though.9. And the worst part, I can't even stay mad at Lambo and I-pin because, well, they're just kids
who happen to known how to kick ass and use explosives, but I digress. If only Enma had known how the Sawada family works, he would have known better than to leave it in plain sight.10. ... I need to start following the anime more. Because that sounds promising. Until then I'll just have to keep thinking up outlandish theories to be proven wrong or right. And yup, only one more day until the Inheritance. Time for some answers. Heck, maybe this will all lead up to how the Arcobaleno were cursed and all that good stuff along the way. But I'll be happy knowing how the Shimon are tied to the Vongola.