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The poll two weeks ago was on if the RK-3 was powering up for real this time and would not longer need saving. The majority thought not. As we've been down this road so many times before but there were some optimists.
Now onto the review!
This week begins with Karias training M-21 on Frankenstien's island with very little success; since M-21 can't bring out his full werewolf form. So at Karias' suggestion they decide to try and draw it out through fighting. Which doesn't really work other than showing how effortlessly Karias can beat up the guy but they keep going in a display of M-21's resolve, determination, and remarkable ability to get pounded into the ground like a tent spike.
Meanwhile, in a nearby lab Franky prepares for his dark spear experiment with Tao and Takeo. As he prepares, he thinks back to Muzaka's declaration to Raizel that he was deciding whether or not to kill humanity with a rampage or to take his time doing it. Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the context but.. there it is. Anyway, after that's done he starts things up by hitting each of them with a little of the spear's power and suggesting they try not to go insane; which is just good advice in general really.
Elsewhere, Kentas and the Lady Werewolf meet their backup from the Werewolf Lord. A feminine looking/crazy looking... guy(?) named Grui and big fella with no pupils named Gaitan. Neither Kentas nor the Lady Werewolf look at all pleased to see them either.
Substance
This chapter was mostly training arc stuff from Tao, Takeo, and M-21. As such how interested someone is in this is going to depend on how into those characters you happen to be. I don't care at all, so I found the whole thing fairly boring. I hope this is just a situation where those characters are super popular in South Korea and the authors are just bending their efforts to match because otherwise focusing the story on them to this degree strikes me as poor decision that has been made repeatedly.
We did also get a small dose of plot movement toward the end with the introduction of some new werewolves sent by the Lord to hunt down Muzaka. To state the obvious these are almost certainly fodder for the RK-3 to battle after they get their new powers. So I'm not too concerned that they look like they both got villain that is going to die soon practically stamped on their foreheads. That being said I do have some problems with their designs. With Grui it's that his design is literally only 1/3rd male. Female legs. Male chest. Female face. Not good. With Gaitan it's that... well has there ever been a non-villainous black guy in Noblesse? Now I'm not accusing the authors of racism or anything but it's starting to seem a little weird to me. I just don't feel completely comfortable with the Noblesse stock villain being a thuggish lookin' black guy without something to balance that out. Makes me wish this Gaitan is going to come with a charismatic personality or something but obviously the prospects of that are not great.
The other little thing in this chapter was a flashback showing Muzaka's intentions to either rampage around and kill lots of humans or take his time and slowly kill lots of humans. That's interesting, I guess, but the way it was worked into the chapter made no sense. Why would he be thinking that when he's focusing on the Takeo and Tao experiment. It's like it was meant to be in last week's chapter and wasn't done in time so they shoehorned it into this one.
Presentation
The art was fairly good. As always you have to look at the raw to tell because the LINE version is still basically an upscaled smartphone version. With a panel layout and image quality re-edited in ways that do not do the chapters justice. That being said, the combat drawing between Karias and M-21 was pretty good. It's almost a pity such effort is being spent on something with such a low ceiling in terms of plot value.
The pacing was surprisingly slow. Of all the things for the series to take it's time with a training arc with a high chance of being mostly irrelevant is not one of them. It wasn't absurdly slow or anything but the pace in this chapter suggests it will take at least three weeks to get this done and that's just way to long; unless your really into the RK-3.
Overall Rating.
This was a marked improvement over recent chapters that was weighed down by the questionable plot direction. However, it did suffer from slow pacing and an awkwardly forced flashback.
I give it a 2 out of 5
New Prediction
Old Predictions: (35 Wins/ 45 Losses)
Now onto the review!
Chapter Summary
Ah yes, training through deep scalp massage. A classic.
Ah yes, training through deep scalp massage. A classic.
This week begins with Karias training M-21 on Frankenstien's island with very little success; since M-21 can't bring out his full werewolf form. So at Karias' suggestion they decide to try and draw it out through fighting. Which doesn't really work other than showing how effortlessly Karias can beat up the guy but they keep going in a display of M-21's resolve, determination, and remarkable ability to get pounded into the ground like a tent spike.
Meanwhile, in a nearby lab Franky prepares for his dark spear experiment with Tao and Takeo. As he prepares, he thinks back to Muzaka's declaration to Raizel that he was deciding whether or not to kill humanity with a rampage or to take his time doing it. Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the context but.. there it is. Anyway, after that's done he starts things up by hitting each of them with a little of the spear's power and suggesting they try not to go insane; which is just good advice in general really.
Elsewhere, Kentas and the Lady Werewolf meet their backup from the Werewolf Lord. A feminine looking/crazy looking... guy(?) named Grui and big fella with no pupils named Gaitan. Neither Kentas nor the Lady Werewolf look at all pleased to see them either.
Chapter Review
I wonder if I'm a bad person for thinking "Go ahead and kill him."
I wonder if I'm a bad person for thinking "Go ahead and kill him."
Substance
This chapter was mostly training arc stuff from Tao, Takeo, and M-21. As such how interested someone is in this is going to depend on how into those characters you happen to be. I don't care at all, so I found the whole thing fairly boring. I hope this is just a situation where those characters are super popular in South Korea and the authors are just bending their efforts to match because otherwise focusing the story on them to this degree strikes me as poor decision that has been made repeatedly.
We did also get a small dose of plot movement toward the end with the introduction of some new werewolves sent by the Lord to hunt down Muzaka. To state the obvious these are almost certainly fodder for the RK-3 to battle after they get their new powers. So I'm not too concerned that they look like they both got villain that is going to die soon practically stamped on their foreheads. That being said I do have some problems with their designs. With Grui it's that his design is literally only 1/3rd male. Female legs. Male chest. Female face. Not good. With Gaitan it's that... well has there ever been a non-villainous black guy in Noblesse? Now I'm not accusing the authors of racism or anything but it's starting to seem a little weird to me. I just don't feel completely comfortable with the Noblesse stock villain being a thuggish lookin' black guy without something to balance that out. Makes me wish this Gaitan is going to come with a charismatic personality or something but obviously the prospects of that are not great.
The other little thing in this chapter was a flashback showing Muzaka's intentions to either rampage around and kill lots of humans or take his time and slowly kill lots of humans. That's interesting, I guess, but the way it was worked into the chapter made no sense. Why would he be thinking that when he's focusing on the Takeo and Tao experiment. It's like it was meant to be in last week's chapter and wasn't done in time so they shoehorned it into this one.
Presentation
The art was fairly good. As always you have to look at the raw to tell because the LINE version is still basically an upscaled smartphone version. With a panel layout and image quality re-edited in ways that do not do the chapters justice. That being said, the combat drawing between Karias and M-21 was pretty good. It's almost a pity such effort is being spent on something with such a low ceiling in terms of plot value.
The pacing was surprisingly slow. Of all the things for the series to take it's time with a training arc with a high chance of being mostly irrelevant is not one of them. It wasn't absurdly slow or anything but the pace in this chapter suggests it will take at least three weeks to get this done and that's just way to long; unless your really into the RK-3.
Overall Rating.
This was a marked improvement over recent chapters that was weighed down by the questionable plot direction. However, it did suffer from slow pacing and an awkwardly forced flashback.
I give it a 2 out of 5
Predictions Section
New Prediction
- Grui and Gaitan are going to fight the RK-3.
Old Predictions: (35 Wins/ 45 Losses)
- Rael will lose his next battle to the RK-4.
- Raizel will name Shin Woo his successor; resulting in him inheriting the title and power of the Noblesse.
- The female operative from the Union will eventually end up on Raizel's side, like M-21 and the others.
- Raizel will ultimately choose to use himself up completely in order to help his friends.
- The Union was originally created by the Traitorous Nobles.
- M-21 and Yontsu. I think it's going to happen, even if I have no idea how.
- At some point the Lady Werewolf will turn on the Union.
- Rael is going to end up attending school. (I hate it, but it's gonna happen)
- The Current Werewolf Lord backstabbed Muzaka somehow.
- This is the final time Raizel will use this much power.
- The 3rd Elder is an Ex-Clan Leader
- RK-3 is just going to need to be saved again.
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