KHR 314~

[makeste]

So I tried something different this week, and read Binktopia's scanlation first, then used IEM's version to do the review. I think it worked out all right; it solves the problem of me fretting about which scan to read, as well as the problem of me constantly going into these things unspoiled so that all I'm capable of writing are capslock reactions and rows and rows of exclamation points.


1. CONS: Well darn it all, Byakuran is not on the cover.

PROS: Instead, we have the only person in the manga even more fabulous than Byakuran: Shitt P! WELL, GEE, I WONDER WHO'S GOING TO BE FIGHTING IN THIS CHAPTER. Hibari, anyone? You know he's been waiting a long time to settle his score with Miss P. She has always been just a little too "P" for him, I think. Whatever, Hibari; more for us.

By the way, Shitt P, I believe congratulations are in order! I just heard that you and Britney Spears are the highest earning pop stars after Beyonce. Good luck with the Monster Ball Tour!


2. I would like for someone to fight on top of that giant cliff on the far right of the island. It looks like such an epic place for a showdown. AND IT SHOULD BE AT NIGHT, and it should definitely be raining. Thunderstorming. JUST BECAUSE.

Anyway, back inside La Casa del Shimon, Julie is all LULZ THE FAT GUY GOT DEFEATED, and everyone else greets him with dirty looks because way to be an insensitive jerk, Julie! Enma in particular seems really torn up about the whole thing, because of course he is a Tsuna-type and angsting about their families' well being is just what they do. And never mind that no one gave two shits about Aoba getting imprisoned. It's Aoba, come on. Nobody liked that guy.

Julie is also way too confident about the fact that "the only ones of us remaining are the elites." Because the last time I checked, the same was also true of the Vongola. Seriously, it's game on now.


3. OH HEY, THAT'S RIGHT, I STILL HATE KAORU. Thanks for the reminder, Amano.

"Any more news about that guy, btw?" "No, no. Well, Byakuran just sort of randomly appeared by his bedside last night, but aside from that it's been business as usual." This conversation is making me a bit ill-tempered. :/ Also, Adelheid might as well just be topless in that panel, I swear. SO MUCH BOOBAGE sfkljlk I don't even.

And Julie's incessant cheerfulness and willingness to drape all over his boss further reinforces the idea that he's kind of Yamamoto 2.0, Dickishness Edition. When he's not terrorizing Chrome and being inappropriate around Adelheid, I like him a lot more.


4. And now the plot begins to thicken yet again. I am having some difficulty following what Julie is talking to Enma about here. He talks about "that guy" (...BYAKURAN???), and says he received a call from him to learn the truth about "that case." What case? Well, the one that CEDEF was in charge of, of course. What's that? You still want to know which case and that doesn't help you at all? Well, join the club. XD

Whatever this incident was, though, it must have been something that really pissed Enma off, because when he finds out that Tsuna's dad is the head of CEDEF, he goes hardcore rage, folks. Seriously, that is one huge rage-on. RAGEALICIOUS. IT'S RAGETASTIC.

And I'm starting to get distinct vibe that Enma is being thoroughly manipulated by Devious McNametwin here. (I know, I know, what was my first clue?) OH, ENMA, DON'T BE FOOLED! LOOK AT HIS BEARD, I'M TELLING YOU, IT IS A BEARD OF EVIL. Have you ever met anyone with a beard like that whom you could actually trust? WE'VE KNOWN THIS SINCE STAR TREK, GET WITH THE PROGRAM.


5. Meanwhile, back in the wilderness, Gokudera and Tsuna are having a conversation about how surprised they are by things that really should not have surprised them at all. Also, IEM seems to be having the same difficulty as me when it comes to deciding whether they should stick with "Shimon" or just give in to the flow of things and make the switch to Simon already. Then Lambo interrupts them by going spelunking in Gokudera's bag, and Gokudera is just SO OFFENDED ("My candies? You dare to steal MY CANDIES??") that he tans Lambo's hide and makes him into a purse just like the cow he is. >( And it's been a while since I've come across a panel that was so nakedly begging to be made into an icon, but damned if this isn't a prime candidate, right here. (And Reborn's praise is just the icing on the cake. XD)


6. SUDDENLY!! ABANDONED TOWN IN RUINS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! I do believe the Vongola have inadvertently stumbled across some sort of horror game set in rural Italy. These old ruined towns are always haunted, right? (By the way, I wish I could figure out which of the characters is actually exclaiming, "IS... IS THIS A TOWN!?" so that I could smack them. YES, you guys. OF COURSE IT IS A TOWN, JESUS.)

ffffff the town is filled with random math graffiti. 8| IT'S GETTING MORE HAUNTED BY THE SECOND. (Why would she need to write down the formula for pi? Is this a shout-out to the chapter number?) And oh my God! There it is! It's both awe-inspiring and terrifying! It's like the inner tube thing she's wearing is phasing right through the chair. DEFINITELY A GHOST. GHOST-ALIEN. ...ALIEN GHOST.


7. THE ALIEN GHOST IS DOING HOMEWORK THAT SOMEHOW REQUIRES DETERMINING THE AREA TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH YEN SOMEONE HAS! D-do not even get me started on her Japanese homework; the contents of it terrify me more than words can say. XD AND OH GOD NO, NOW GOKUDERA AND TSUNA ARE PHASING THROUGH SOLID OBJECTS AS WELL. THIS IS TERRIBLE, WHAT A TERRIBLE DAY.

On the other hand, Gokudera was forced to call her Shitopi-chan in front of EVERYBODY, so this might just actually be the BEST DAY EVER.

Wow, she's not coming on to him nearly as strongly as she was in the Binktopia version. Though all the same, Gokudera seems embarrassed. I'm actually shocked that he's not blushing in that panel on the left.


8. Everyone, Shitt P just somersaulted out of the abandoned house by busting a hole in the roof. I just thought you all should know that. This has been a PSA from Makeste.

And now she is coming on to him, I guess that wasn't just Binktopia after all. XDD GO ON, GOKUDERA, KICK HER ASS IN THE NAME OF HUMANKIND.

Also, I cracked up when he was about to announce his pride and Shitt P cut him off with what had to have been a bored-sounding "I know already." AND HE LOOKS SO SHOCKED. "HOW DOES SHE KNOW, I'VE KEPT IT SO SECRET FOR ALL THESE LONG YEARS!" Gokudera, never change.


9. Truth is, kid, I'm sorry to say your pride was in fact a little predictable. Shitt P's pride, however, is a bit of a twist, if only because Iiiiiii can't really figure out how these prides are at all compatible in terms of setting up the rules for a match. Seems to me it's a bit one-sided, no? ADVANTAGE SHITT P.

But never mind all that, because the moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived: TINY CAT LEAPING FROM GOKUDERA'S CROTCH. 8D And this time, Gokudera's ready with his secret weapon, catnip! WHY DID HE NEVER THINK OF CATNIP BEFORE. This is too cute.

--oh shit he's scratching him looks like the jig is up, QUICK! URI! CAMBIO FORMA!

And just to make my week complete, he actually does thrust his hips forward in exactly the way I had hoped he would. XDD ILU SO MUCH STORMY DECIMO. MY FAVORITE FOREVER.


10. LADIES AND GENTS, PRESENTING... GOKUDERA HAYATO, VERSION VG. Now if you'll excuse me, I must analyze every last detail of this little set-up he's got going on here.

• SUNGLASSES. He has sunglasses. omigod.
  
• AND A MOTHERFUCKING BANDOLIER. WITH FLAMES. GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME.
  
• LOOK AT THAT GAUNTLET UPGRADE. Tell me that isn't the shiniest thing you ever did see.
  
• JESUS HIS LEGS ARE SO SKINNY
  
• I THINK THE BOOTS LOOK DUMB!! But apparently all the kids have got them now, so whatever. The crazy little VG orbit they're also sporting now is cool enough to make up for it.
  
• DYNAMITES! It's been so long! ;_; IF THEY ARE MEANT TO REPLACE THE REST OF THE C.A.I. I WILL HATE EVERYTHING FOREVER. But assuming they're just there to complement it, then hell yes! I'M TOTALLY ON BOARD.
  
• A CIGARETTE JUST APPEARED IN HIS MOUTH ALL OF A SUDDEN, WTF.
  
• Lastly, you all saw it: Tsuna of all people staring at him mouth agape and screaming, "IT'S THE REVIVAL OF THE SMOKIN' BOMB!!" I told you this town was haunted, guys. By the ghost of Basil.

So, NOT A YAMA OR A BYAKURAN TO BE FOUND, but all in all, still a pretty good chapter.