Shounen Robot x Laserbeam Hangout Thread

[Brandish μ]

It's not that hard to walk 18 holes, you walk at a leisurely pace too. Carrying the bag though sounds much harder. You can get different bags with double straps, which make it easier to carry.

Rough distances:
Par 3 - 100 to 200m
Par 4 - 300 to 400m
Par 5 - 450 to 550m

And add in distance between holes (it is usually more than 100m), and from the club house to the tee off. So about 9km feels about right. I think Japan is known for having some stupidly long courses with par 6's and 7's.

It's difficult to say, but one week seems likely to me too. Maybe two, but then that would mean we skipped his first practice session with Rion (not saying this couldn't have happened, it's just something to note). I also wonder how meaningful being the fittest of the first years is in the bigger picture though. Chances are the second and third years will still have more stamina than that I reckon.

And I do hope that's the case since it'd be too quick in my opinion if Robo went from having little to no endurance to being fit enough to play 18 holes without any problems. Picking up on the technical aspects of different shots quickly is one thing, but stamina and the like are physical limitations, so Robo's ability to learn quickly shouldn't apply here.

Yea I'd say the first years have the least fitness. Especially with the difference in physical maturity at those ages. Being no.1 is certainly impressive, but also hope it is mentioned that he'd finish last in the second years (going on the times).

It felt way too quick for me. Even with determination, there's only so much improvement the body can do in a short time. Also with stamina, there's the upper body training that was mentioned. That's probably for the hitting power, but that helps with carrying the bags too.

 

[Kaoz]

Yea I'd say the first years have the least fitness. Especially with the difference in physical maturity at those ages. Being no.1 is certainly impressive, but also hope it is mentioned that he'd finish last in the second years (going on the times).

It felt way too quick for me.

I think him being slower than the 2nd and 3rd years, assuming that's true, is actually a key point here. Maybe it's less odd for him to have risen to the top of the 1st years so fast than we think. The other guys probably haven't done these exercises for a long time either, the school year didn't start that long ago from what I understand. Add in that Robo might've looked up good breathing techniques, running posture and the like and you might be able to make it sound kinda feasible. Maybe this showing is also enough to earn the acknowledgment of the 1st years in a relatively short amount of time.

But how is he gonna win over the other club members? Assuming he won't match them in basic abilities any time soon, there will have to be a different way for him to do that. Maybe he'll get challenged during the weekend practice rounds or something? Or could the match against Kyosuke play into this? I just can't imagine the upperclassmen taking this lying down considering most of them haven't seen Robo hit anything yet.

Even with determination, there's only so much improvement the body can do in a short time. Also with stamina, there's the upper body training that was mentioned. That's probably for the hitting power, but that helps with carrying the bags too.

I wonder about the upper body training. We haven't seen any of that at all yet, so do you think it'll be skipped or is that something we'll be getting next week or the week after? I suppose the situation is gonna be similar to the running one though, so maybe it's not worth spending much time on it.

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 12, 2017, Original Post Date: Jun 10, 2017 ---

Right, here's another thing I've been wondering about: do you think any of the other Eiai first and second years will really be relevant at some point or will they be restricted to the occasional cameo like the 2nd year that delivered the message to Robo and Tomoya in ch 11 and the fittest 1st year in ch 12?

 

[Lady pompom]

I think the other second years will be restricted to cameos and the character development from Eiai will focus only on the main group of players.

About Rin, she could be either sister or cousin of Gen (probably sister). But Fujimaki already put the same surname on characters and they were not related: Kiyoshi teppei and Kiyoshi Miyaji from KnB.

 

[Kaoz]

About Rin, she could be either sister or cousin of Gen (probably sister). But Fujimaki already put the same surname on characters and they were not related: Kiyoshi teppei and Kiyoshi Miyaji from KnB.

No, he didn't actually. Kiyoshi is Teppei's surname, but Miyaji's given name. Moreover, even though it looks like the same "Kiyoshi" to us, the kanji are actually quite different:
木吉 (for Teppei)
清志 (for Miyaji)

However, in Gen and Rin's case, the same kanji is used (黒田). So they're most definitely related.

 

[Brandish μ]

But how is he gonna win over the other club members? Assuming he won't match them in basic abilities any time soon, there will have to be a different way for him to do that. Maybe he'll get challenged during the weekend practice rounds or something? Or could the match against Kyosuke play into this? I just can't imagine the upperclassmen taking this lying down considering most of them haven't seen Robo hit anything yet.

Yea, I doubt the upperclassmen acknowledge Robo easily. I guess the only way is to see him play, or something like Kyosuke vs Robo.

I wonder about the upper body training. We haven't seen any of that at all yet, so do you think it'll be skipped or is that something we'll be getting next week or the week after? I suppose the situation is gonna be similar to the running one though, so maybe it's not worth spending much time on it.

I assume the training will be episodic, so running the gym. Running was everyday, while gym twice a week? So maybe it won't be a big thing in comparison to aerobic fitness; so you're probably right there.

Right, here's another thing I've been wondering about: do you think any of the other Eiai first and second years will really be relevant at some point or will they be restricted to the occasional cameo like the 2nd year that delivered the message to Robo and Tomoya in ch 11 and the fittest 1st year in ch 12?

Yea I tend to think the relevance of anyone in the club is capped to probably what we'll get from Kazama. They won't be as relevant as the regulars in terms of playing ability I assume, unless there's another talent coming through that can challenge but I doubt it. As a friend there might be some, but I assume Tomoya has that covered.

A lot could happen though, since Robo is a first year. Not sure how long the manga will take us, so if we go all the way through til graduation a few guys will be cycled out.

 

[Kaoz]

Running was everyday, while gym twice a week?

From what I understand it's three times a week - they run every day, but then they go to the bigger club twice a week and on those days they don't do any gym practice. Plus the practice rounds on the weekends, they presumably don't do any of the regular practice on those days. But yeah, two days, three days, negligible difference.

A lot could happen though, since Robo is a first year. Not sure how long the manga will take us, so if we go all the way through til graduation a few guys will be cycled out.

That's true, we don't actually know how many in-universe years this series is gonna last. A single one seems more probable to me than all of HS, but you never know.

 

[Brandish μ]

http://readms.net/r/robotxlaserbeam/013/4350/1 Chapter 13 is out on MS

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 15, 2017, Original Post Date: Jun 15, 2017 ---

Kazama accepted Robo, and I really liked that part of the chapter from a character point of view.

Robo's currently an 83, but could get into the 70's in a short time. Reading the wind and putting are his major deficiencies atm, along with second hand equipment.

The end sets up the big match with Kyosuke. It was made out emphatically that they're on a different level to me. The sports car, and everyone in awe. Robo's going to pick up some tricks in this match. Really looking forward to it.

 

[Spirit]

Robo is so... basic. It's as if he has such a one track mind that he knows and specializes in one particular area. He doesn't even know he specializes either. Not sure what to make of this Emperor of Golf character. Seems like the classic douchebag rich kid with some skill but maybe he'll have some depth and become friends with Robo. If so then I would be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Lady pompom]

Kyosuke does look a rich guy with high self-steem, but I didn't expect he would invite Robo personally, I thought he would at least wait a bit more to challenge his rival. I hope the Emperor has a good background as a character explaining his rivalry with Youzan. Rion's face when he remembered the schedule for the following week he will probably organize some special training for Robo if he does accept the challenge.

 

[Kaoz]

Kazama accepted Robo, and I really liked that part of the chapter from a character point of view.

Agreed overall, although it could've been drawn out a bit more as we discussed last week. Either way though, this does make me wonder more about whether or not Kazama's gonna be a recurring character and maybe even serious competitor in the future. Not only have we learned that he hasn't actually put as much effort into the club as he could've - with Robo maybe lighting a bit of a fire under him - but as it stands now, chances are no other club members will receive much focus between now and the camp, making Kazama stand out a bit more.

Robo's currently an 83, but could get into the 70's in a short time. Reading the wind and putting are his major deficiencies atm, along with second hand equipment.

The end sets up the big match with Kyosuke.

Eh, I don't think having better clubs would really make a big difference at this point. It's not like he's playing with garbage, his father has probably maintained all the equipment quite well over the years. But growing out of all his basic deficiencies comes first either way, no equipment in the world can help with that.

About the match, it seems pretty clear that Robo's gonna get destroyed badly. Even if Asia Run is correct about the special training, it's just one week until they play and the gap between Robo and Kyosuke should be at least 20 strokes still. Overall I can see two scenarios happen:

1. Robo doesn't play any more practice rounds between now and then, meaning he'll go into the match with an implied personal best of 82. In this case I'd expect him to end with a 79 against Kyosuke, so a giant loss, but barely enough to get him into the camp. The problem here is that (a) it's not particularly exciting I suppose; and (b) if he enters the camp with a 79 he'll still need to shave off at least 10 points during the camp to have a shot at a regular spot.
2. Robo might improve a little more until the match and maybe even get to 79 by then once, meaning he'll just have to replicate that level to fulfill the condition. But in the second half of the match itself, he'll start copying Kyosuke and improve his personal best by heaps and bounds, maybe to around 70. This would do three things: first, Robo suddenly keeping up with Kyosuke would be an exciting twist; second, he's more competitive when he enters the camp; third, Kyosuke will have a good reason to take Robo seriously for their inevitable rematch.

Overall, I'd lean more towards the second option if I had to pick between the two.

Seems like the classic douchebag rich kid with some skill but maybe he'll have some depth and become friends with Robo. If so then I would be pleasantly surprised.

"Some skill" is a bit of an understatement, wouldn't you say? This guy should be the cream of the crop, unless it turns out that he's really on the decline and a bunch of Youzan's other rivals are catching up to him. Also, I don't mean to be negative about this, but given the circumstances, I really doubt Kyosuke and Robo will part on overly friendly terms or even really see each other again for quite a while - given both Kyosuke's title and the fact that he's the Akashi look-alike, he's probably a major end boss alongside Youzan.

 

[Spirit]

Agreed overall, although it could've been drawn out a bit more as we discussed last week. Either way though, this does make me wonder more about whether or not Kazama's gonna be a recurring character and maybe even serious competitor in the future. Not only have we learned that he hasn't actually put as much effort into the club as he could've - with Robo maybe lighting a bit of a fire under him - but as it stands now, chances are no other club members will receive much focus between now and the camp, making Kazama stand out a bit more.



Eh, I don't think having better clubs would really make a big difference at this point. It's not like he's playing with garbage, his father has probably maintained all the equipment quite well over the years. But growing out of all his basic deficiencies comes first either way, no equipment in the world can help with that.

About the match, it seems pretty clear that Robo's gonna get destroyed badly. Even if Asia Run is correct about the special training, it's just one week until they play and the gap between Robo and Kyosuke should be at least 20 strokes still. Overall I can see two scenarios happen:

1. Robo doesn't play any more practice rounds between now and then, meaning he'll go into the match with an implied personal best of 82. In this case I'd expect him to end with a 79 against Kyosuke, so a giant loss, but barely enough to get him into the camp. The problem here is that (a) it's not particularly exciting I suppose; and (b) if he enters the camp with a 79 he'll still need to shave off at least 10 points during the camp to have a shot at a regular spot.
2. Robo might improve a little more until the match and maybe even get to 79 by then once, meaning he'll just have to replicate that level to fulfill the condition. But in the second half of the match itself, he'll start copying Kyosuke and improve his personal best by heaps and bounds, maybe to around 70. This would do three things: first, Robo suddenly keeping up with Kyosuke would be an exciting twist; second, he's more competitive when he enters the camp; third, Kyosuke will have a good reason to take Robo seriously for their inevitable rematch.

Overall, I'd lean more towards the second option if I had to pick between the two.



"Some skill" is a bit of an understatement, wouldn't you say? This guy should be the cream of the crop, unless it turns out that he's really on the decline and a bunch of Youzan's other rivals are catching up to him. Also, I don't mean to be negative about this, but given the circumstances, I really doubt Kyosuke and Robo will part on overly friendly terms or even really see each other again for quite a while - given both Kyosuke's title and the fact that he's the Akashi look-alike, he's probably a major end boss alongside Youzan.

Maybe it's simply too early to tell. Kyosuke didn't really leave an impact on me to be frank.

 

[Kaoz]

Maybe it's simply too early to tell. Kyosuke didn't really leave an impact on me to be frank.

I mean, it's not really about impact, they flat-out said he's the strongest at the moment and part of the champion school.

Although, there's one thing I found quite interesting about Kyosuke's appearance in this chapter. If you look at these three pages, there's that black... something between the panels. I'm not quite sure what to make of it exactly, but I guess it's kind of a malicious aura, maybe.

 

[Spirit]

Well spotted. Maliciousness is what I get out of it as well. I often do try and predict a "strongest character" candidate's future by how the impact me as a reader and don't often rely on what's flat out told to me. Scepticism maybe? Not sure but I'll wait and see.

 

[Newkerzy]

I'm betting this will pretty much be Robo's putting style , given his personality and way of thinking.

 

[Brandish μ]

Eh, I don't think having better clubs would really make a big difference at this point. It's not like he's playing with garbage, his father has probably maintained all the equipment quite well over the years. But growing out of all his basic deficiencies comes first either way, no equipment in the world can help with that.

It might not be an issue for now, since Robo is at the beginner stage. Once he gets more experience (or his scores improve), better clubs will make a difference. There was the mentioning in the chapter from Rion about Robo being given the muscleback iron (for experienced players), so there is an impression that equipment will become a part of Robo's progression. Balls as well, I assume.

It has been implied a few times that Robo's dad might not just be a regular golfer iirc. Maybe the clubs are good?

About the match, it seems pretty clear that Robo's gonna get destroyed badly. Even if Asia Run is correct about the special training, it's just one week until they play and the gap between Robo and Kyosuke should be at least 20 strokes still. Overall I can see two scenarios happen:

1. Robo doesn't play any more practice rounds between now and then, meaning he'll go into the match with an implied personal best of 82. In this case I'd expect him to end with a 79 against Kyosuke, so a giant loss, but barely enough to get him into the camp. The problem here is that (a) it's not particularly exciting I suppose; and (b) if he enters the camp with a 79 he'll still need to shave off at least 10 points during the camp to have a shot at a regular spot.
2. Robo might improve a little more until the match and maybe even get to 79 by then once, meaning he'll just have to replicate that level to fulfill the condition. But in the second half of the match itself, he'll start copying Kyosuke and improve his personal best by heaps and bounds, maybe to around 70. This would do three things: first, Robo suddenly keeping up with Kyosuke would be an exciting twist; second, he's more competitive when he enters the camp; third, Kyosuke will have a good reason to take Robo seriously for their inevitable rematch.

Overall, I'd lean more towards the second option if I had to pick between the two.

Yea I'm thinking scenario 2 as well. Kyosuke winning by a lot and Robo learning a lot are the 2 musts for this match.

What we should get, as you've mentioned is:

• Kyosuke defeating Robo handily
• Robo learning
• And you would think, Robo does enough to make camp

One thing I'm ambivalent about is how Kyosuke receives Robo. He definitely wants to see what Youzan was talking about. I assume that Robo's ball striking/swing being perfect is something that Kyosuke will be impressed by. But how much so? He seems like a flashy, confident person. Does he take it to 'rivalry level' like Youzan has, or will he not care much for Robo?

It'll be interesting, to see how Kyosuke reacts, especially if Robo pinches a shot/technique.

I'm betting this will pretty much be Robo's putting style , given his personality and way of thinking.

Do you mean reading the greens like that? Yes, I think so. Eventually.

Actually, in the first chapter we got this...

Spoiler

Those grid lines the slope of the green in a way a computer would simulate it. Reminds me a lot of Tiger Woods games...

Spoiler

I couldn't find one with much slope, but the grids looks similar.

 

[Friss]

I see Kyosuke seeing Robo take his first shot and thinking it a fluke. Watching him maybe make a bad call on his following shots and really start to question ridicule Robo.

Robo void of most emotions won't fall for the taunts and just continually learn from Kyosuke even questioning him at times only making Kyosuke more annoyed that he hasn't broken Robo and by the end of the match perhaps show a copy of one of his signature moves.

Robo will finish the match with his best score of a 78 disappointed in the result but still making the camp.


As for Robo's clubs I see it being a plot point of him trying or getting new clubs and instantly becoming awful because he isn't used to how they work. For him each club he has used seems to be the first time he's used that club so all of his calculations are based on that. Surely he can probably overcome that but I feel like he will continue to use his dad's old clubs.

 

[Purity of Magi]

Chapter is out on MS: http://readms.net/r/robotxlaserbeam/014/4368/1

 

[Newkerzy]

Aaaaaand........ Here comes the fujobait. Took him long enough.

As usual, Fujimaki's strong point is his characterization. Kyosuke's schtick with Youzan is cliche, but it never fails to get a snicker out of me. I just hope it doesn't get too overdone cause that kind of thing can get old real fast.

 

[Brandish μ]

Kyosuke was characterised poorly for me. Well, just hope that's temporary and he gets serious (I assume so, he's not feared for no reason). At least we saw the 'relationship' he has with Youzan; though it was hard to tell what Youzan really thought of Kyosuke since the phone call was an annoyance. Kyosuke will use 'Robo-kun' eventually you'd imagine, since that's his quirk. And Robo was also funny on the last page xD

The upper body training part seems to be skipped as well, in comparison to the cardio.

Will be good to see the scoring here. With the 200cm rookie Kaoru, I think he'll score better than Robo. Kazama might be too nervous to put up good numbers, I guess we'll see. Souta also got wound up a bit, thinking he'll put in a low score, maybe the best on the day.

Was there a mix up with the teams? I thought a regular + non-regular would have to take on a regular + non-regular, as per this page. So shouldn't Robo be paired with a regular, and not Kazama? Maybe they altered the rules.

 

[Friss]

Kyosuke was characterised poorly for me. Well, just hope that's temporary and he gets serious (I assume so, he's not feared for no reason). At least we saw the 'relationship' he has with Youzan; though it was hard to tell what Youzan really thought of Kyosuke since the phone call was an annoyance. Kyosuke will use 'Robo-kun' eventually you'd imagine, since that's his quirk. And Robo was also funny on the last page xD

The upper body training part seems to be skipped as well, in comparison to the cardio.

Will be good to see the scoring here. With the 200cm rookie Kaoru, I think he'll score better than Robo. Kazama might be too nervous to put up good numbers, I guess we'll see. Souta also got wound up a bit, thinking he'll put in a low score, maybe the best on the day.

Was there a mix up with the teams? I thought a regular + non-regular would have to take on a regular + non-regular, as per this page. So shouldn't Robo be paired with a regular, and not Kazama? Maybe they altered the rules.

Robo is playing a regular. He's up against the #1. Kazama was just picked as part as the extra 12 members they take alongside the regulars he'll play against another lower player.

Obsessions over rivals is so boring and dumb why is it in every sports manga.