Shin content is the best content in the manga. Andrew omg I have a new Shin ship, didn't realize Heisuke felt that strongly to Shin and that devoted to him, the line Heisuke doesn't want to be at the store if Shin isn't there is the cutest confession. Awwww.
I'm guessing Shin's father is the brains behind the Al Kamar project. Haruma recognized Shin probably because his dad brought him around while he was experimenting on the orphans.
Great art with an amazing fight between Shin and Tenkyu, quite the power up that Shin got but now that leaves X with one soldier less ( even if he doesnt die here) wonder how can Heisuke can catch up.
Also the flashback might give us finally answers of the orphans and possibly the next big bad guy behind it.
I'm guessing Shin's father is the brains behind the Al Kamar project. Haruma recognized Shin probably because his dad brought him around while he was experimenting on the orphans.
Hmm, not entirely sure how I feel about this flashback. It's not bad by any stretch, but I don't know. Kinda feels unnecessary to me? Also, kinda wish Rion and Uzuki's backstory got this many chapters.
This flashback isn't great but it's good enough and it has some funny moments. I personally am not very fond of Rion and Uzuki. Which is kinda funny considering Akira and Gaku are two of my favorite characters.
I voted in the popularity poll two times and promptly forgot about it, lol.
Nagumo being #1 isn't too surprising. He's that kinda character. Although it's rare seeing a #1 and #2 so close. Shin was only behind by a hair. The rest of the top 10 is alright though. Heisuke, Seba, and Amane bring it down for me. For the latter two, I forget they even exist in the series and I'm really not much of a fan of Heisuke lately (mainly because he's Lu's replacement).
Speaking of, I'm glad she's still in the top 20 despite her lack of screentime. Also surprised Atari and Tenkyu got so high despite them being recently introduced. I like them both, so I don't mind.
This popularity poll does make me realize that this series has a bit of a character problem. Despite not having tons of characters like MHA or BLEACH, I don't think it makes good use of most of the secondaries (The Order notwithstanding).
Compared to everyone else on the list, Sakamoto's kinda dull. He's a cool character with engaging action scenes, but that's all he really has going for him. He's never given that many emotional moments as he's a largely stoic character. That's not necessarily bad, but in this cast of oddballs, he's...normal. He's actually been a bit more energetic in this arc, which was a nice change of pace for him. He's at his best when he's doing something related to Aoi and Hana.
Shin, on the flipside, not only has a more dynamic personality, but he also has the underdog element going for him. His whole arc is basically him clawing his way up to be a match for the Order and a strong, reliable partner for Sakamoto. He's your average Shounen protag.
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Well then...I can certainly say I didn't see that coming.
I'm really thinking that Uzuki has an Asaki personality. From what 's been set up, it seems like his original personality isn't the real issue (despite creating his gang) and we definitely know Rion isn't pulling the string and making him go this far. Crossing out this Asaki while still leaving room for him to be a villain with more resources would be a decent compromise for this anti-climactic end for him. Uzuki getting cold feet but creating a personality to go through with things would at least let him off the hook and allow Sakamoto to "save" him and Rion.
With what we know they technically don't. We don't know Slur's intention with this new JAA, but I imagine it's still going to run counter to the Sakamoto Gang's want for general peace around the neighborhood. Plot related reasons aside, this seems like an easy way to fold both groups together to give Sakamoto a way to kill two birds with one stone writing wise.
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Hmm...hmmmmm. Slur's goal is interesting to say the least. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet (I'll wait for the official translation to get a better idea), but I do love the fact that the citizens are folded into the plot like this. While they aren't exactly major characters, they are an integral part of the setting of the series and after seeing their ho-hum reactions to the wacky shit going on around them, this is an amazing turn for their role.
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Aight. Official translation out. Official opinion in. Uzuki's plan? Kinda stupid and nonsensical. I like the idea. The execution? In a world that's already borderline fantastical, this still doesn't seem feasible.
Like, this is something where he'd need strong arm the citizens into even participating in and maybe threaten them with death if they didn't do so. However, if he did that, there would leave no doubt that Uzuki's a complete monster and you'd really need a much better reason for Sakamoto's gang not to kill him beyond their rules.
Rather than just giving people guns and expecting them to just randomly kill three people, he should've just made it a law that everyone in Japan was now a JAA affiliated assassin and gave all of them a target to hunt. Those that succeed would get paid quite a bit for it and would have to continue being assassins while those that failed would potentially die. That way, it would truly be a test for the people. Those that would reject killing would prove him wrong, but those who are greedy or just want to kill with no consequences would prove him right.
The world building is still one of the weakest aspect of the series but basically, there will be chaos in Japan and I am sure foreign countries won't intervene for some reason. Or maybe only the US as usual. I still think this should have been in a fantasy world with assassins being bounty hunters or something like that.
Rather than just giving people guns and expecting them to just randomly kill three people, he should've just made it a law that everyone in Japan was now a JAA affiliated assassin and gave all of them a target to hunt. Those that succeed would get paid quite a bit for it and would have to continue being assassins while those that failed would potentially die. That way, it would truly be a test for the people. Those that would reject killing would prove him wrong, but those who are greedy or just want to kill with no consequences would prove him right.
Since he believes no one is innocent, he is giving them guns so that they can act as their impulse to kill anyone they want. Giving them a target would be forcing them.
Since he believes no one is innocent, he is giving them guns so that they can act as their impulse to kill anyone they want. Giving them a target would be forcing them.
Fair point on the impulse aspect of his plan. Still feels like a logistical nightmare on his part.
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I like the idea behind The Order's, Oki's at least, reasoning for joining Slur. I do wish we got a sense of this earlier on. Like, say, attendance for the JCC has been dropping for a while or jobs have been dry for the most part. Or even just saying that Asaki's take over was just there to benefit himself politically and not the assassins as a whole. The bones are there, but it just needed some fleshing out.
We seem to have a decent mixture of Order level fighters on both teams now.
Sakamoto's Team:
Sakamoto
Nagumo
Shin
Heisuke (a bit behind, but probably counts still)
Kindaka
Yotsumura
Shishiba?
Shishiba seems to be primed for a face turn, but the question is will Osaragi follow him immediately or stick around with The Order. I feel like she'll do what he didn't do back with Yotsumura and question whether or not she shouldn't get more information about the job in front of her. Kamihate was suspiciously missing from this chapter (probably because the Order would easily wipe everyone out if he was backing them up), but it's possible he's also having mixed feelings.
Akira and the remaining JCC students are likely going to be wild cards who join Sakamoto in the end, which should push them over.
Shishiba seems to be primed for a face turn, but the question is will Osaragi follow him immediately or stick around with The Order. I feel like she'll do what he didn't do back with Yotsumura and question whether or not she shouldn't get more information about the job in front of her. Kamihate was suspiciously missing from this chapter (probably because the Order would easily wipe everyone out if he was backing them up), but it's possible he's also having mixed feelings.
Akira and the remaining JCC students are likely going to be wild cards who join Sakamoto in the end, which should push them over.
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Assassins are complicated.
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