In order to stave off the pre-toc jitters, here, my analysis of Nue's Mitori Village Arc (since I am rereading the series):
Being considered by many as the first FULL arc of Nue's Exorcist, Mitori Village (or Shitotsu, because it very much IS her arc).
This arc holds a pretty special place in my heart in spite of its different approach compared to what comes later, mainly because of what it introduced to the series. The entire premise and scope of the story change dramatically as this arc begins with chapter 22. We are introduced to the Elimination Squad Captains, all with personalities that have stuck to this day. They make a strong impression to the reader in spite of them not being shown fighting or threatening anyone. Sumeragi's delight at the interactions of younger folks, Igari's aggressive yet calculative behaviour, Shimaki's carefree attitude, Doryo's kind and observative exterior, and of course, Kabane's boasting, which has become a meme in the fandom. This last one will come back in my Fujino Estate Arc review because Kabane himself is a REALLY interesting character, one of the series' most overlooked figures in fact.
Suo's section at the brawl introduces to us what the main theme of the arc really is: responsiblity, as well as foreshadowing much of what the reader will see during the Ritual Blade Arc. We see more of her inner sekf, insecurities which seemed impossible for her, and how much she wants to be relied upon. It's a core component of her person, why the position of Senpai is more than just seniority, to her it's a symbol of being the one others turn to for help. And why is that? Again, Ritual Blade Arc.
Then we get introduced to the most important character of this arc: Shitotsu, Gakuro's younger step-sister. She cements not only the theme of redponsibility I mentioned earlier, but also the one of Gakuro's self deprication. At first glance, she hates him. She doesn't want to listen to him, she wants him out of the way to whenever there id something to do, yet she is social with everyone else, stranger or not. It's not until she and Gakuro start cooking together that they can connect a bit more and the reader is given an hint to what is ACTUALLY going on in Shitotsu's mind. Not to mention, it's when Gakuro is seen most comfortable, making sure we KNOW that they've been close together at one point.
Once the mission at Mitori Village actually begins, we have to talk about Gakuro himself. He's clumsy, even Suo has to tell him not to be so self-depricating, and then the cave scene happens. This is where Gakuro begins piling responsibility and needless faults on himself. He apologizes for nothing that is actually a big deal, but he also talks about his date dream. Which is refreshing to see! He understood how much that useless imagination was affecting everyone and ripped the bandaid off. It's through these small pieces of growth that we see him becoming more and more of a captain, and therefore a better person than he was before.
Yet that already gets put into conflict once they find the injured exorcist in the house. This scene illustrates PERFECTLY why Shitotsu is such a great contrast to Gakuro. She thinks methodically, almost cruelly, to secure more lives saved, but Gakuro immediately goes to the man's rescue, despite knowing deep down that, logically speaking, Shitotsu's right. He saves who can be saved in any given moment, Shitotsu looks at the big picture and remains professional. It makes the reader think "Wow, will these two actually get along?"
The same exact thing applies when it comes to Suo and Shiroha's kidnapping. He doesn't relent when it comes to saving them, but Shitotsu's ready to make the hard decision. It's only thanks to Karasu Tengu's intervention that they went with the rescue plan. And speaking of-
Karasu Tengu was a fun, charming and shockingly important addition to the story. Her shenanigans and powers from here on will be more crucial to Gakuro's objective than what we were let on after this arc. Not to mention, she id really cute! And seemingly a canon lgbtq+ character, so good on her!
Anyways, we soon begin the level 3 fight, against Tsucchi to be specific. Here is where Shitotsu's professionalism gets flipped on its head. Takuro's death is what got her and Gakuro to bond at the barracks, yet here she tries her hardest to be separated from him. This battle remains arguably the most crucial point for Gakuro's self realization, not just for this arc, but for the series as a whole. They are out of their league, Tsucchi keeps regenerating, and Shitotsu loses her arm in the process. This wakes Gakuro up finally, this is what he needs to do as not just a captain, but as her brother: take helm and make decisions. He wants to put her in the backline but she won't listen and they get cornered HEAVILY. Looking back, it feels insane that they've struggled THIS much with a level 3 considering how they are handling level 4s and above currently...
Tsucchi itself introduces to the reader the concept of level 3s and they are TERRIFYING. Smart enough to take hostages, disturbing human attributes, insane resilience- common Spirits like these have NEVER felt so scary. Legitimately, if exorcists didn't exist as a powerful organization as they do now, the setring would be DARK.
The actual fighting for the most part is... Fine. Definitely a step down from the battle with Shiroha choreography wise. Whether or not Kota was simply feeling the effects of Covid and the Earthquake at the time, or if he just wasn't used to drawing larger foes yet, who knows.
The strength behind this battle is the emotion and meaning behind it. Shitotsu and Gakuro's backstory is just heartbreaking. Two once inseperable kids fought until bones were broken and the two left each other until the present day. Their lives ruined, Gakuro stagnated in his own self deprication and Shitotsu left in a search for revenge that she knew she couldn't really fulfill. She left Gakuro because she wanted him to live, because she knew he would do the same as their father and sacrifice himself one day. The thought of that scared her into pushing him away for the rest of her life. This is why she kept insulting his position, that he isn't fit to it, why she told him to stay out of the way over and over. She wanted him to leave from harm's way.
And this is when Gakuro's resolve, sense of responsibility not just for his squad, but for his position as a big brother, make him overcome his own misery. The first Zenoblade is still, to this day, one of the best scenes in the series. His and Nue's mutual trust, his acknowledgement of his own weakness, and his ultimate decision, all built up to this. He could not make the choice to save Shitotsu before, in spite of how much he tried, simply because he wasn't strong enough. Now he is. They kill Tsucchi, avenging their father once and for all... Or did they?
Zenoblade deserves its own paragraph. It's the first technique that we saw Nue use, around since volume 2. It's the proof of her connection with Gakuro and their trust. It's basically his Getsuga Tensho, his Rasengan, his Kamehameha. The emotional weight behind it as I described it is STILL a masterful moment. To this day it holds this same weight in a variety of ways! Genuinely incredible stuff.
They meet up with Kyokotsu rampaging against the 3 level 4 kids. I did not talk about level 4s until now because this is when their power actually becomes apparent. No two ways about it- Squad 6 could not handle level 4s. At ALL. And Yagyo's entrance makes it very clear. Yagyo makes an INSANE first impression. The reader JUST got out an extremely close fight with a level 3. Now this dude can just... Kill everyone? With such embarassing ease? While achieving his objective all at the same time?
This is one of the few times in the seried where there truly feels like there is NO hope left. Not until Suo gets gravely injured and Gakuro makes a call amidst his rage to rescue Karasu... Just barely letting Nue and Squad 4 enter.
What comes next is something that will shape Gakuro forever. He is helpless as he is tied down and made watch as Igari battles Yagyo (which, considering what we know of Igari's strength NOW, is an absolutely insane feat) and the others are rescued... All outside his own power. In the end, in spite of Nue's own words, he sneaks in a punch and cuts off the resurrectiin Yarn in half before it falls into enemy hands, for the first time expressing pure HATRED for someone as he yells at Yagyo-
"I WILL BE THE ONE TO EXTERMINATE YOU! DON'T YOU DARE FORGET!"
And Yagyo.. REMEMBERS GAKURO?? I TELL YOU WHEN THIS DUDE INEVITABLY COMES BACK INTO THE SPOTLIGHT IT WILL BE ABSURD!!
The chapter after, the arc concludes. Everyone lived, and they are back to school. Despite this, Gakuro is in the dumpster emotionally. That's when Shitotsu brings him to Takuro's grave, and they meet up with Igari.
Igari's talk with Gakuro is emotionally charged to the top. He is not a true captain, he cannot overcome what his position should allow him to- but that isn't his fault. They faced a beyond abnormal situation, they SHOULD NOT have all survived.
But they did, and it was Gakuro who achieved that. Igari had many, MANY subordinated die under her command as she started as a captain. She still can't stop visiting all of their graves. So she tells Gakuro to just... Be happy. Prepare for next time with everyone, because they lived. And this moment leads Gakuro into who he is now, reinforcing his and Nue's beliefs- they WILL save everyone.
This arc expanded upon the world and the characters so much that, in spite of its flaws, you cannot deny the impact it holds. Kota is just a wonderful, WONDERFUL writer, and more people should have recognized it by this point.
And with that said... ONTO RITUAL BLADE!
