RYOKO 43

(Top text- FINAL CHAPTER)
Ubume: My master.
The adaptation was a success.
This land does indeed bless you with it's love.
RYOKO
Rice: Finally we can set out to find all of the germs.
They are the greatest threat on this planet.
Implement the measures to weed out humanity, it's life and...

002
Peace.
RYOKO
FINAL VOL: Last Supper.
KAITO MITSUHASHI

003

004
Zen: So I am...
Kashiwade....
Daitoudai: Looks like you're starting to remember.
Kazuo: Then you were at the facility...!
Ryoko: There are two germs...?!
Daitousai: Yeah.
And Zen is the one with the power to defeat those guys.
He's humanity's...no. Our final trump card.

005
Rere: Those guys...?
Daitousai: The rice.
They're mobilizing their forces and coming here.
Zen: Wha? What did you say?!
Kazuo: Is that true?!
Daitousai: That's why I came running back here.
The ones who eradicated mankind were the rice troops, and there's no escaping them.
Standing against them is also death.
However.
We do have once chance.

006
Daitousai: If we use your ability to rot anything,
then we may be able to defeat the rice.
Do you think you can do it, Zen?
(Sfx- Gokuh gulp)
Zen: And...how many troops are we talking about?
The rice that we encountered before were hella strong.
Daitousai: The rice are calling in the foodstuffs that have conquered the entire nation. I hate to even think about the raw numbers but...
If we're just talking rice here, then it's about thirty thousand.

007
Zen: That's....a lot.
Ryoko: Do you know when the white rice are coming here, master?
Daitousai: They should be here by sunset.
(Sfx- Gata clatter)
Ryoko: I see. Then....

008
Ryoko: We've gotta eat dinner!
Master, your hair sure has gotten long.
Daitousai: It's been a while since I've been able to do this.
Ryoko: Um...so,
a lot has happened Master.

009
Ryoko: I met Zen-kun and the others, I had shell at dish city, charged into the city in the sea of trees...
And....cut someone down...
Daitousai: I see...
The path of thorns is a painful one.
Did you cry?
Ryoko: I did. Plenty even.

010
Ryoko: This world is unforgiving...
And I had no idea how far the depths of cruelty went.
I'm not sure if I made the right choice or wrong choice and yet...
I can't stop to ponder that as there are more choices that I have to make.
However...
even in those days...
I'm able to eat good food with everyone.
That makes me so happy that I don't mind it.

011
{I get it...}
{The girl I left behind who was seeking revenge against the world...}
{Is really gone now.}
Daitousai: Geez, I leave for just a little while and you go and grow up on me.
Even I as your teacher could stand to learn a bit from you, huh?
Ryoko: You could be pretty cool again if you shaved that beard, y'know.
Daitousai: “Cool again”?

012
Ryousuke: Waah!
We're gonna have a picnic in a wide place like this?
Zen: Hows about we put the sheet here?
Ryoko: Yeah, that's perfect!
A picnic at night~
Daitousai: And how are preparations going over there?
Kazuo: They're done.
Ryoko: Now then have a seat everyone!
Time for some dinner bento!
Someone: Ooooh!! It's a fried salmon bento box!!!
(Sfx- Deeen toom)

013
Rere: I brought some clam miso too!
Ryoko: Great! Let's eat!
Yesterday's leftovers are tomorrow's breakfast!!
Nothing gets left uneaten!
Well then...
Thanks for the meal.
(Sfx- Aaaaaaan)
(Handwritten- So delish!)
(Sfx- Zuzuhh Sluuurp)

014
{Thanks for reading. The final volume of the manga has a estimated release date of this fall. Please look forward to Mitsuhashi-sensei's next work.)
RYOKO: END.

Normally I like short chapters, but I would have taken one triple this length if it meant having more time with Ryoko and her friends. This whole series was the whole gambit of a joy and tragedy in one package. I was so excited to see it land on the scene two years ago, and sad when the hiatus was first announced...then overjoyed when it returned even though deep down I knew it was just coming back to end since pre-hiatus it wasn't a big seller, so there was no reason for Shougakukan to keep it running. Still, this ending just....I dunno man. I'm hoping Mitsuhashi will address a few things in the final volume's release in a few days but I can imagine we may never know if it was Shougakukan who asked him to pull the plug like this or if he just decided that he wanted to break free quickly. The one hope at the end of the tunnel is that they did say he's working on something else. I hope we'll see more of Mitsuhashi sooner rather than later since he really is a talented guy. Not just in his art but how his writing complimented the over the top nature of his artwork perfectly. In any case, I'm cursed to always feel a sense of emptiness when I finish translating a series, huh....for once it'd be nice to finish something that had a long and happy run. Yes, yes, I know the irony of saying this when I'm not done with Saike. I promise that's coming soon. Until then.

-BDR.