Chapter 201 - Parting
Manic Dogma
This, I can't deny.
- Location
- The far side of tired
- Pronouns
- Whatever
The fight is over, and the results are up on the Dome's massive screens for all to see. Mikazuchi Rei lost, Kuroki Gensai won. And with that, the tournament spins its wheels for a little while as preparations are made to begin the next match, leaving the audience to their own devices. And in this interstitial moment, a curious emotion. Melancholy. We dip into the heaving sea of humanity filling the dome's seats, and find some of the musing on what a shame it is, that it seemed like an interesting fighter was going to take his place in the Kengan Matches. Mikazuchi's done for, they say. Every fighter of Kurayoshi's that has lost a match goes missing. Every single one. What a terrifying woman she is.
Well, I guess that explains how hard the panels at the end of the last chapter were trying to push a sense of omen.
That said, as we move to the next page, the scene suggests something else. Rino knelt on the ground, Rei cradled in her arms and gently bleeding onto the floor. She looks down at him with a fairly complicated expression, the face of someone who reflexively hides their feelings encountering feelings that defy being hidden. When she finally speaks, it almost feels apologetic, an attempt to justify what happened to herself.
She supposes it was her environment, the world she grew up in, but whatever caused it she could never overcome a revulsion toward what she calls "unnatural death." What does that mean? Well, we don't get a direct explanation, but the context I think gives a pretty clear image of the broad idea. As a Kengan Association member, she knew she had to endure it. She believes her father caused it, his rampant murder in service of his goals. And when her fighters lost their first match, she ordered them to quit. With her dumb, dumb magic hypo-boobs or whatever. She didn't want them to die.
Leaving aside the manga's utter refusal to just drop the stupidest element of Kurayoshi's character, the meaning of "unnatural death" here is quite simple. It's deaths caused as a result of Kengan Association business. Both in the backroom dealings, and in the most basic course of its operations. One could even read it as guilt, inherited along with the fabulous, bloodstained wealth that doubtless sped her along her path to prominence in the association. She doesn't have it in her to leave this life, but at the same time the idea of anyone dying on her behalf apparently terrifies her so much she'll all but inflict ego death on them anyway to ensure they live on. And yeah, on that note, this is an amusingly fucked up thing to learn in the course of a moment that's clearly supposed to humanise her? Like, these men probably know what they're about, the Kengan Matches aren't shy about their nature. But she takes the decision out of their hands anyway, for the sake of her own comfort and peace of mind. Not even firing them and leaving them to their own devices, no, she has to reach into their skull with her horny-based mind control and lobotomise their will to fight. If the scene were more honest about how fucked up this is, I'd honestly be saying this as a point of praise, it's genuinely appropriate as the foible of a CEO in this vein. The sense of entitlement to make decisions for other people's lives, all tangled up in her own neuroses and partially-formed sense of ethical discomfort. Sandro doesn't seem to have absorbed the idea that maybe it's not a good thing for CEOs to have such unilateral control of people's lives, alas.
Oh, incidentally, remember how Kurayoshi and Hayami seemed to have a preexisting relationship, and we spent a little time musing on what form that might have taken? Yeah, this page confirms it's a father and daughter relationship, the panel where Kurayoshi talks about her murderous father features what's very obviously Hayami's silhouette, complete with the man's characteristic melted eyelid. So yeah, we all know what shit he gets up to trying to secure his position in the association. I'm sure Sandro would like it if we assumed Kurayoshi cut ties with him entirely and got where she is entirely via her bootstraps, but…come on. We all know that's not how this works.
Anyway, Rino seems to lament how things have gone, and begins to muse on what might have happened if she hadn't "put my chains on you", which…could mean the pheromone order specifically or pulling him into her orbit more generally. I'm not sure. It could honestly be either, each would fit Rei's response that it's not her fault, and it was his decision to swear off killing. Maybe it's both, and the characters themselves aren't sure, the ideas blending together in the match's emotional fallout. I kind of doubt that though, Sandro hasn't really shown any capacity for that kind of nuance.
In any case, Rei insists that it was his decision to swear off killing, which ultimately is true. Even if he did it for Rino, as she notes, he had a life he could have gone back to. He chose to abandon that life, to try and become closer to her. But then we hit the part of this whole section that I find…strange. And which implies some quite unsettling things underlying Kengan Asura's perspective on masculinity, and sense of values.
Rei says that his thought process was too shallow. To fight without killing is his goal, but as he exists right now his martial art is stuck in limbo between these two ends. He refuses to take a life, but his new Raishin style is too messy and incomplete to save one either. He has to change, he says as he lifts himself out of Kurayoshi's lap and stares into the opposing wall. His back to her. She reaches out one more time, telling him she knows he can do it, and if there's any way she can help…just let her know.
She looks at him with the same sort of numb smile as before. Because he doesn't turn back to look at her. His thoughts don't even acknowledge her.
There's only one face in his mind right now.
This is, in Kengan Asura's estimation, what it means to be a Seeker of Strength, I suppose. And forgive my reach, but there's a significant part of me that feels it reflects poorly on the manga that in what it clearly feels is the ultimate expression of masculinity…there's no space for love. That intimacy is a distraction from the purity of male endeavour. That's rather sad, I think.
Now, don't get me wrong. I've said many times before that becoming the best in the world at something takes a certain kind of monomania, a certain kind of madness, to be able to focus on and dedicate yourself to a skill like that. But a partner is also a valuable source of support. Practical, yes, in terms of having someone to deal with the day to day business of financial support, food and whatnot. But also evidently emotional, in keeping a person centered, socialised, healthy, propping them up when things are hard, encouraging them through a wall, just being there on a regular basis. The human heart is a complicated flower, even a relatively robust one has a cocktail of needs. And, well, ultimately even the most utterly psychotic martial artist cannot be training 100% of the day, even ignoring the need to eat and sleep. Rest, at some point, is mandatory or your body will take the decision out of your hands. And that rest time is an excellent opportunity to cuddle your significant other. Just maybe take a shower first.
And let's not leave the gender angle to this unsaid, as well. This isn't the first time I've seen a manga characterise a passion, a drive of this kind as a uniquely male property that women cannot properly comprehend. Only with the additional, deeply unpleasant implication that they cannot even support a man through his goals, no, she can only ever be a distraction. The classical gender binary roaring through the room like a harley davidson made of frozen piss. Men act, women are acted upon, men have dreams and ambition, women simply exist in the banal moment, men resist temptation, women are temptation.
It was not just in the moment that Rei had to abandon all attachments and annihilate the world around him to pursue victory. Kengan Asura says that he must sever himself from Kurayoshi entirely, or the Siren will forever deny him the victory he seeks.
What a sour fucking cherry to top the last match's cake. But then I suppose that cake had a layer of rancid salad dressing in the middle anyway, so it's just carrying on the theme.
Thankfully, the manga is moving on, and so shall we. From the dour atmosphere of the Mikazuchi entry corridor to the Kuroki entry corridor, we find Rihito standing in wait for his unconsenting master. What took you so long out there? He asks. Did something happen between you? Kuroki brushes it off, claiming that Rihito of all people was overthinking it.
Rihito. Overthinking something. I'm not sure the man has ever had a complete thought in his life, let alone overdone one.
Anyway, Kuroki insists he just needed a warmup. In the Kaiwan style, foresight is called Motionlessness, and it's been a solid while since he's ever had to use it to fight someone. Which is credit to Rei, because Setsuna didn't make him use it. Kuroki wanted to make sure that he hadn't gotten rusty with the technique. Nothing personal to it at all.
Hello? Rihito? I think he's dissociating.
The man cannot fucking help himself. He's like a cat, I swear, the slightest suggestion of emotional connection and he's like "no, what, nothing of the sort, you're dumb, shut up." It's almost like Kuroki is parodying the thesis of the chapter's first scene, he is lying through his fucking teeth to seem more stoic and isolationist than he really is. What he really is being kind of a softie for a promising kid with lots of room to grow. Here is the peak, a man in whom martial arts is embodied like a kami within a shintai, and he is incapable of not forming emotional connections at every opportunity. He can't even meet Takakaze's eyes, look at him glancing off to the left like a big fat liar. If his pants were any more on fire he'd achieve liftoff through the explosive propulsion.
Fortunately for the embodiment of martial arts, his CEO doesn't bother pushing the point, so he's saved having to scramble for further defenses. One more win down. Motorhead Motors has kind of languished in the mid-range of the Association, but they've made it to the semi-finals.
Right, he notes, to the greatest trial the tournament can offer.
We pivot once again, because the quarter finals have one match left to go. Katahara Metsudo welcomes Nogi to his private box, expressing gladness that he could make it, with a wry and amused cast to his eyes. With a singsong lilt he dryly asks Nogi to go easy on him now that they're competing directly, and the man calls that out for the gag that it is. Jokes out of the way, Katahara does have actual points to make though. Little late to comment on it, really, but Nogi is taking a massive risk. Remember the caveat for calling an Annihilation tournament? It's been like 180 chapters, so I don't blame you if you've forgotten. If he doesn't win, Nogi Corp gets dissolved. All Nogi's assets thrown away, just to stand on even ground with Katahara Metsudo for a moment. I'd call it arrogance, but by all indications Metsudo has walked the walk for the better part of a century now. Nogi isn't phased, though. He hasn't thrown his assets away as long as he wins, and, well. He's only even with Metsudo for now. He'll surpass him soon enough. It's solid banter and Katahara agrees, finding it quite funny. He has him there!
Very few things get under a CEO's skin in this manga. It's a whole thing, their sheer, focused manliness deflects bullets or some bullshit. But Katahara has been consistently framed as exceptional, and so it goes here, looming in the panel like a wraith. Something's been bugging him since the instant Nogi called for the tournament. Nogi's not a risk taker, he's a sound investor who runs the risk profile down to the very nub of its being when at all possible, Katahara knows as much from watching Nogi do business. And yet, here he is, making the highest risk play possible within the financial establishment. Why the sudden change of heart? This prompted Katahara to do a little digging, and he figured in the process that Nogi must have learned the same thing he did. Nogi cuts him off, telling him that-pffff, sorry, gimme a second. Ahem. Telling Metsudo that a newcomer like him would never understand. Nogi will win this tournament at any cost for his ancestor's desire.
I won't lie, it's very funny to see Nogi frame himself as the established, norm-defining old guard and crusty, ancient old Katahara as the clueless upstart. The both of them are part of a calcified system, neither can be putting on airs.
But yeah, who's the him that Nogi learned about? Well, Katahara muses on how that man probably hasn't even dreamed…
Plot twist! We have yet to get any sense of what this actually means, but the implications are pretty wild. This disposable little office drone, for a few heady days the axis around which the financial establishment of japan turns. But, for now, this is where this ends. The manga doesn't linger on it, simply leaving the mystery to stew as Yamashita yells at Ohma not to go too hard as the younger man steps into the ring. Why is he there? To spar with Hatsumi. The audience is baffled, one fighter helping another warm up is, if not unprecedented, highly irregular. Even when the fighters are close, they note that the companies usually put a stop to it. Which tracks, the only thing capitalists hate more than making even the slightest contribution to their competition is not having ironclad control over every asset they can reach. Anyway, the sparring isn't even really sparring, it's a super light warmup so far and the fighters note as much with a little confusion. Kaneda suggests Ohma is simulating the Fang's strikes, but Mokichi points out the sheer difference in frame between Ohma and the Fang would kind of render that pointless. Maybe it's just a warmup after all? Chiba doesn't think so. Hatsumi wouldn't do anything like this with no specific point, and if we asked Nogi he might well respond that Hatsumi wouldn't put that much effort in without enough of a payoff.
Back down in the ring, Yamashita is musing on how badly Ohma and Hatsumi used to get along, and on something Hatsumi said just before. Dipping back into a flashback, we see Hatsumi prod the tiger a little, blithely asking about that time Agito kicked Ohma so hard he bounced off the ceiling. And, to everyone's surprise, Ohma agrees equally blithely. That is indeed a thing that happened. Hatsumi is completely nonplussed, he'd been expecting a blowup, and Ohma shrugs it off as just stating facts. They banter back and forth a bit more, and Hatsumi muses on the changes, apparently having only just now noticed the emergence of Chill Ohma. But then, I supposed they haven't really interacted since before the tournament. Still, an Ohma this stable? Hatsumi can use that, he reckons. He then offers Ohma the chance to team up to beat the Fang. What does that mean? Well, find out next week. End chapter.
See you all next time, as Hatsumi's act completes, and we see what the Floating Cloud can do where the God of War failed.
Well, I guess that explains how hard the panels at the end of the last chapter were trying to push a sense of omen.
That said, as we move to the next page, the scene suggests something else. Rino knelt on the ground, Rei cradled in her arms and gently bleeding onto the floor. She looks down at him with a fairly complicated expression, the face of someone who reflexively hides their feelings encountering feelings that defy being hidden. When she finally speaks, it almost feels apologetic, an attempt to justify what happened to herself.
She supposes it was her environment, the world she grew up in, but whatever caused it she could never overcome a revulsion toward what she calls "unnatural death." What does that mean? Well, we don't get a direct explanation, but the context I think gives a pretty clear image of the broad idea. As a Kengan Association member, she knew she had to endure it. She believes her father caused it, his rampant murder in service of his goals. And when her fighters lost their first match, she ordered them to quit. With her dumb, dumb magic hypo-boobs or whatever. She didn't want them to die.
Leaving aside the manga's utter refusal to just drop the stupidest element of Kurayoshi's character, the meaning of "unnatural death" here is quite simple. It's deaths caused as a result of Kengan Association business. Both in the backroom dealings, and in the most basic course of its operations. One could even read it as guilt, inherited along with the fabulous, bloodstained wealth that doubtless sped her along her path to prominence in the association. She doesn't have it in her to leave this life, but at the same time the idea of anyone dying on her behalf apparently terrifies her so much she'll all but inflict ego death on them anyway to ensure they live on. And yeah, on that note, this is an amusingly fucked up thing to learn in the course of a moment that's clearly supposed to humanise her? Like, these men probably know what they're about, the Kengan Matches aren't shy about their nature. But she takes the decision out of their hands anyway, for the sake of her own comfort and peace of mind. Not even firing them and leaving them to their own devices, no, she has to reach into their skull with her horny-based mind control and lobotomise their will to fight. If the scene were more honest about how fucked up this is, I'd honestly be saying this as a point of praise, it's genuinely appropriate as the foible of a CEO in this vein. The sense of entitlement to make decisions for other people's lives, all tangled up in her own neuroses and partially-formed sense of ethical discomfort. Sandro doesn't seem to have absorbed the idea that maybe it's not a good thing for CEOs to have such unilateral control of people's lives, alas.
Oh, incidentally, remember how Kurayoshi and Hayami seemed to have a preexisting relationship, and we spent a little time musing on what form that might have taken? Yeah, this page confirms it's a father and daughter relationship, the panel where Kurayoshi talks about her murderous father features what's very obviously Hayami's silhouette, complete with the man's characteristic melted eyelid. So yeah, we all know what shit he gets up to trying to secure his position in the association. I'm sure Sandro would like it if we assumed Kurayoshi cut ties with him entirely and got where she is entirely via her bootstraps, but…come on. We all know that's not how this works.
Anyway, Rino seems to lament how things have gone, and begins to muse on what might have happened if she hadn't "put my chains on you", which…could mean the pheromone order specifically or pulling him into her orbit more generally. I'm not sure. It could honestly be either, each would fit Rei's response that it's not her fault, and it was his decision to swear off killing. Maybe it's both, and the characters themselves aren't sure, the ideas blending together in the match's emotional fallout. I kind of doubt that though, Sandro hasn't really shown any capacity for that kind of nuance.
In any case, Rei insists that it was his decision to swear off killing, which ultimately is true. Even if he did it for Rino, as she notes, he had a life he could have gone back to. He chose to abandon that life, to try and become closer to her. But then we hit the part of this whole section that I find…strange. And which implies some quite unsettling things underlying Kengan Asura's perspective on masculinity, and sense of values.
Rei says that his thought process was too shallow. To fight without killing is his goal, but as he exists right now his martial art is stuck in limbo between these two ends. He refuses to take a life, but his new Raishin style is too messy and incomplete to save one either. He has to change, he says as he lifts himself out of Kurayoshi's lap and stares into the opposing wall. His back to her. She reaches out one more time, telling him she knows he can do it, and if there's any way she can help…just let her know.
She looks at him with the same sort of numb smile as before. Because he doesn't turn back to look at her. His thoughts don't even acknowledge her.
There's only one face in his mind right now.
This is, in Kengan Asura's estimation, what it means to be a Seeker of Strength, I suppose. And forgive my reach, but there's a significant part of me that feels it reflects poorly on the manga that in what it clearly feels is the ultimate expression of masculinity…there's no space for love. That intimacy is a distraction from the purity of male endeavour. That's rather sad, I think.
Now, don't get me wrong. I've said many times before that becoming the best in the world at something takes a certain kind of monomania, a certain kind of madness, to be able to focus on and dedicate yourself to a skill like that. But a partner is also a valuable source of support. Practical, yes, in terms of having someone to deal with the day to day business of financial support, food and whatnot. But also evidently emotional, in keeping a person centered, socialised, healthy, propping them up when things are hard, encouraging them through a wall, just being there on a regular basis. The human heart is a complicated flower, even a relatively robust one has a cocktail of needs. And, well, ultimately even the most utterly psychotic martial artist cannot be training 100% of the day, even ignoring the need to eat and sleep. Rest, at some point, is mandatory or your body will take the decision out of your hands. And that rest time is an excellent opportunity to cuddle your significant other. Just maybe take a shower first.
And let's not leave the gender angle to this unsaid, as well. This isn't the first time I've seen a manga characterise a passion, a drive of this kind as a uniquely male property that women cannot properly comprehend. Only with the additional, deeply unpleasant implication that they cannot even support a man through his goals, no, she can only ever be a distraction. The classical gender binary roaring through the room like a harley davidson made of frozen piss. Men act, women are acted upon, men have dreams and ambition, women simply exist in the banal moment, men resist temptation, women are temptation.
It was not just in the moment that Rei had to abandon all attachments and annihilate the world around him to pursue victory. Kengan Asura says that he must sever himself from Kurayoshi entirely, or the Siren will forever deny him the victory he seeks.
What a sour fucking cherry to top the last match's cake. But then I suppose that cake had a layer of rancid salad dressing in the middle anyway, so it's just carrying on the theme.
Thankfully, the manga is moving on, and so shall we. From the dour atmosphere of the Mikazuchi entry corridor to the Kuroki entry corridor, we find Rihito standing in wait for his unconsenting master. What took you so long out there? He asks. Did something happen between you? Kuroki brushes it off, claiming that Rihito of all people was overthinking it.
Rihito. Overthinking something. I'm not sure the man has ever had a complete thought in his life, let alone overdone one.
Anyway, Kuroki insists he just needed a warmup. In the Kaiwan style, foresight is called Motionlessness, and it's been a solid while since he's ever had to use it to fight someone. Which is credit to Rei, because Setsuna didn't make him use it. Kuroki wanted to make sure that he hadn't gotten rusty with the technique. Nothing personal to it at all.
Hello? Rihito? I think he's dissociating.
The man cannot fucking help himself. He's like a cat, I swear, the slightest suggestion of emotional connection and he's like "no, what, nothing of the sort, you're dumb, shut up." It's almost like Kuroki is parodying the thesis of the chapter's first scene, he is lying through his fucking teeth to seem more stoic and isolationist than he really is. What he really is being kind of a softie for a promising kid with lots of room to grow. Here is the peak, a man in whom martial arts is embodied like a kami within a shintai, and he is incapable of not forming emotional connections at every opportunity. He can't even meet Takakaze's eyes, look at him glancing off to the left like a big fat liar. If his pants were any more on fire he'd achieve liftoff through the explosive propulsion.
Fortunately for the embodiment of martial arts, his CEO doesn't bother pushing the point, so he's saved having to scramble for further defenses. One more win down. Motorhead Motors has kind of languished in the mid-range of the Association, but they've made it to the semi-finals.
Right, he notes, to the greatest trial the tournament can offer.
We pivot once again, because the quarter finals have one match left to go. Katahara Metsudo welcomes Nogi to his private box, expressing gladness that he could make it, with a wry and amused cast to his eyes. With a singsong lilt he dryly asks Nogi to go easy on him now that they're competing directly, and the man calls that out for the gag that it is. Jokes out of the way, Katahara does have actual points to make though. Little late to comment on it, really, but Nogi is taking a massive risk. Remember the caveat for calling an Annihilation tournament? It's been like 180 chapters, so I don't blame you if you've forgotten. If he doesn't win, Nogi Corp gets dissolved. All Nogi's assets thrown away, just to stand on even ground with Katahara Metsudo for a moment. I'd call it arrogance, but by all indications Metsudo has walked the walk for the better part of a century now. Nogi isn't phased, though. He hasn't thrown his assets away as long as he wins, and, well. He's only even with Metsudo for now. He'll surpass him soon enough. It's solid banter and Katahara agrees, finding it quite funny. He has him there!
Very few things get under a CEO's skin in this manga. It's a whole thing, their sheer, focused manliness deflects bullets or some bullshit. But Katahara has been consistently framed as exceptional, and so it goes here, looming in the panel like a wraith. Something's been bugging him since the instant Nogi called for the tournament. Nogi's not a risk taker, he's a sound investor who runs the risk profile down to the very nub of its being when at all possible, Katahara knows as much from watching Nogi do business. And yet, here he is, making the highest risk play possible within the financial establishment. Why the sudden change of heart? This prompted Katahara to do a little digging, and he figured in the process that Nogi must have learned the same thing he did. Nogi cuts him off, telling him that-pffff, sorry, gimme a second. Ahem. Telling Metsudo that a newcomer like him would never understand. Nogi will win this tournament at any cost for his ancestor's desire.
I won't lie, it's very funny to see Nogi frame himself as the established, norm-defining old guard and crusty, ancient old Katahara as the clueless upstart. The both of them are part of a calcified system, neither can be putting on airs.
But yeah, who's the him that Nogi learned about? Well, Katahara muses on how that man probably hasn't even dreamed…
Plot twist! We have yet to get any sense of what this actually means, but the implications are pretty wild. This disposable little office drone, for a few heady days the axis around which the financial establishment of japan turns. But, for now, this is where this ends. The manga doesn't linger on it, simply leaving the mystery to stew as Yamashita yells at Ohma not to go too hard as the younger man steps into the ring. Why is he there? To spar with Hatsumi. The audience is baffled, one fighter helping another warm up is, if not unprecedented, highly irregular. Even when the fighters are close, they note that the companies usually put a stop to it. Which tracks, the only thing capitalists hate more than making even the slightest contribution to their competition is not having ironclad control over every asset they can reach. Anyway, the sparring isn't even really sparring, it's a super light warmup so far and the fighters note as much with a little confusion. Kaneda suggests Ohma is simulating the Fang's strikes, but Mokichi points out the sheer difference in frame between Ohma and the Fang would kind of render that pointless. Maybe it's just a warmup after all? Chiba doesn't think so. Hatsumi wouldn't do anything like this with no specific point, and if we asked Nogi he might well respond that Hatsumi wouldn't put that much effort in without enough of a payoff.
Back down in the ring, Yamashita is musing on how badly Ohma and Hatsumi used to get along, and on something Hatsumi said just before. Dipping back into a flashback, we see Hatsumi prod the tiger a little, blithely asking about that time Agito kicked Ohma so hard he bounced off the ceiling. And, to everyone's surprise, Ohma agrees equally blithely. That is indeed a thing that happened. Hatsumi is completely nonplussed, he'd been expecting a blowup, and Ohma shrugs it off as just stating facts. They banter back and forth a bit more, and Hatsumi muses on the changes, apparently having only just now noticed the emergence of Chill Ohma. But then, I supposed they haven't really interacted since before the tournament. Still, an Ohma this stable? Hatsumi can use that, he reckons. He then offers Ohma the chance to team up to beat the Fang. What does that mean? Well, find out next week. End chapter.
See you all next time, as Hatsumi's act completes, and we see what the Floating Cloud can do where the God of War failed.
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