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shoko-komi · 4 months

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This special edition of The Komi Report is split into 2 posts. This is Part 1. Click here for Part 2

Hullo! Welcome to the mildly anticipated 2023 Annual Edition of The Komi report! What awaits you below the read more mark is the ultimate retrospective on this year in Komi Can't Communicate. What makes it ultimate? As far as I'm aware, it's the only one of its kind. So I win by default.

I've spent the past week re-reading and ruminating upon the 50 chapters of Komi that came out in 2023, and I've done my very best to boil it all down into the ultimate mega-report!!! It's a long one, so only open it when you're ready for a read!

CONTENTS

1. A Letter from the Editor

2. 2023 in Review

3. The Emoi Awards: (My) Top 5 Chapters of the Year, Most Emoi Moment, Funniest Joke, and Reader’s Choice

A Letter From the Editor

Dear Reader,

It's been a long time since I tried to engage in fandom. People with whom I'm not already acquainted vex, confuse, and frighten me. So rather than seek out community, I'm inclined to keep to myself and my close inner circle of friends. You might say that Alice can't... Alice can't com... communi........

But I love Komi Can't Communicate so very much. Getting my little dose of emoi every Wednesday is the best part of my week. So, to extend the fun and keep myself from bursting; I started making reaction posts, called them The Komi Report because I like to play pretend, and here we are now!

The Komi Report is consistent only so far as it's always unfocused. I get so wrapped up thinking about the things I want to say that I forget to say most of them. I'm scattered, I'm overly harsh, and I'm awkward. However, I amuse myself tremendously. So it's alright in the end.

I like to imagine this is some big, serious publication with a large readership. That's far south of true. But there are a small handful of people who interact with the Report on a regular basis. By my personal standards, that puts me on par with the editor of the New York Times.

So my hearty thanks to anyone reading this special edition of The Komi Report. I have endeavored, in my silly little way, to stir up a few silly little emotions in your heart. If I succeed at that, then I’m satisfied indeed.

I wish you happy holidays, and a very happy new year.

2023 in Review

Alice,

The Komi Reporter

In my mind I break Komi Can't Communicate down into three major sections based on Komi's three years of high school. Her first year is the Bronze Age, second is the Golden Age, and third (which is still, of course, ongoing) is the Silver Age. By this naming scheme I don't mean to imply that one year is better than the other. Only that each of them represents a distinct period of Komi's narrative and for Tomohito Oda as an artist. Talk to me about that sometime; I'll talk your ear off.

Here I've attempted to break 2023 down into its major constituents as well. It's messy, considering the meandering nature of serial fiction like this, but I think I've done a decent job. How exciting for me.

‘Kawai’ encompasses both her story arc and chapters wherein she features predominantly. ‘Kissy Kissy’ and ‘Rumiko’ explain themselves. ‘Emoi surprise attack’ lumps together Ogiya, Emoyama, Fuki, Yadano, and Michita's story beats because I think they're identical in tone and intent. And ‘Komi and Hiki Reunite’ gets its own colour because I love Hiki Komorebi. And I can do whatever I want.

RIP the younger siblings. Shosuke, Hitomi, Ai, and Sanjuro-Rokuro appeared only very briefly this year. Fingers crossed they get some good moments in 2024.

To reflect on 2023 as a whole, I will discuss my general thoughts on each of these segments individually; bar Hiki and the assorted miscellany, for that would require talking too much about individual chapters and would derail everything and plunge us into a lake of fire.

Kawai

Reddit is a hostile and alien environment to me, but I like to peruse r/komi_san every now and then to see what people are saying. The Kawai-heavy months were particularly fun, because Ms Rami dominated conversation and polarized the entire subreddit into petty arguments, the likes of which I still chuckle about. There were Kawai haters, Kawai lovers, Kawai haters who compared her to Yamai, Yamai lovers who tried to turn those comparisons into a positive. It was chaos.

(Link)

Me? I'm a Kawai stan for life. I'll say it at every opportunity; I love when Komi shows off her passionate side – stubborn as a mule, jealous, competitive, and a little domineering. The study camp arc brought those parts of her right out. So, although I didn't find Kawai all that interesting as a character at first, I was enjoying myself.

An old flame of Tadano's - mentioned for the first time in a passing joke long, long ago - appears unexpectedly. She's like an evil dimension Komi – down to the way her shining silver hair contrasts with Komi's dark black-purple. There's no actual risk of her stealing Tadano away, but she undermines Komi's confidence and challenges her openly. A challenge that's impossible to resist.

They spar back and forth. Kawai has the advantage in athleticism and intellect. But when they come to the final portion of the quiz game, Kawai's self-centered attitude is her downfall yadda yadda etc. etc.

Then.... then.... they have that talk on the beach...

...where she reveals her batshit insane long-term plan to watch over Tadano from afar; become the perfect bride-to-be in secret; then appear when the moment is right, drive away all competition, and sweep him off his feet??? Ice-cold kuudere/yandere bitch queen. Be still, my beating heart 💞.

But she has the self-awareness to see things clearly – As she talks to Komi she begins to realize how her attitude has steered her wrong. She sees how Komi and Tadano have something real; how she's been fooling herself all along. Kawai admits that she was behaving poorly and concedes defeat. Growth!!!

I'm going to backflip across the room. I felt like I had achieved nirvana the first time I read this.

I see in Kawai a girl who's been isolated for so long – stuck in an absurd romantic fantasy as a coping mechanism – that she has no concept of how to engage with people casually. She was a lonely child, her parents died tragically, and then she was raised by people who didn't know what to do with her. She seeks meaningful connections but has an extreme, intense personality and abides by an overly literal definition of what makes a ‘family’. Thus, her behavior is overbearing and, at times, inappropriate. But she means well.

Also, she's the best new character since Rumiko and she should never change ever.

One of her lackey's has a big, gay crush on her...

...and I hope Kawai notices her some day.

I saw many people who were frustrated with how heavily Kawai featured in the first half of 2023. I for one think we need more of her. Much, much more of her. I choose not to address her... interesting relationship with her relatives. One must turn a blind eye now and then.

Kissy Kissy

Every romance story faces a serious problem when the lovebirds finally hook up. How do you retain romantic tension once they're formally together? Many stories don't. This is perfectly fine if the story ends at the confession of love, but if the story continues then there needs to be a deeper foundation to the relationship than will-they-won't-they tension (or you can contrive a reason to split them up again).

Komi Can't Communicate has not suffered from loss of romantic tension!!! Wahoo!!!!!

I was stoked back when it became obvious Oda was going to bring Komitano together so soon before the end of the series. I had no doubt the romance would remain compelling - Komi and Tadano are just plain old nice to see together; whatever they might be doing.

So to find out they'll be dating for an entire third of the series??? Yes please. In the english translated tankobon, the love triangle ended in March with the release of volume 23. So we got Komitano officially dating in print; then a few months later, in the weekly chapters, they kissed for the first time. What a year!!!

Tadano is boundlessly patient and thoughtful, and he understands Komi's needs with intuition that crosses the border into mind-reading. He became her first friend motivated only by an earnest desire to help, and never demonstrated jealousy as she became increasingly independent from him. He's a pleasant fellow; faithful, gentle, and kind.

Komi is.... well, she's Shoko Komi

The build up to it is so sweet. A festival date with just the two of them~ She's wearing the dress he chose; he's wearing a shirt with buttons on it (a step up for these shonen romance boys).

Then it goes terribly... and you'd expect these two stress machines to be panicking. But no, they've grown so much and bonded so deeply. They laugh it off in the rain and retreat somewhere dry for a smooch or two... 🥰 kyaaaaaa ✿!!! Emoi!!! And they're both crazy flustered about kissing... but Komi gets assertive... she's kinda like that asldnalsjdnja

The romance is alive. And between these moments, I just like seeing them together; no matter what's going on.

Rumiko

Way back when Rumiko was introduced, she was like a revelation. Her strong, unique personality and chemistry with the rest of the cast made her an instant series staple. Introducing a new character for a long and complex love triangle plotline was a tricky proposition, and Oda managed it with a stroke of genius. Such a stroke of genius that everything before Rumiko's intro feels, in retrospect, like it's missing something. Which is not to say that pre-Rumiko KCC is bad, or that Rumiko should have entered sooner. No. Everything about the way she was handled is perfect...

...up to a certain point. On a tangential note: if you think Rumitano should have been the outcome of the love triangle (hello! you know who you are :3) I can't honestly say I disagree. I don't agree. But I also don't disagree.

(Ch. 285)

(I like Rumitano and Komitano equally. And RumiKomi) But all of this is just lead-up to the matter at hand.

What's pertinent to this 2023 review is the way Rumiko has been handled post love triangle. During moments of passion I've blamed it on Wakai monopolizing her time, but that's unfair. Wakai is just fine. His will-they-won't-they plot with Rumiko is just fine. I do enjoy it at times. What gets on my nerves is how reduced Rumiko feels. At some point Oda decided she's ‘girl who makes unsightly facial expressions’ and that's so much of what we get of her when we get to see her. Her personality has been somewhat squashed.

Couple that with how the focus of her plot with Wakai is primarily on him. She feels like a side character now, when in the past she was effectively a third protagonist. It was inevitable that she step down from her peak of prominence as her role as rival-in-love came to an end, but... idk. She's Komi's best friend (Tadano doesn't count). She’s the Rumiko Manbagi.

There are moments where Rumiko's personality still shines. During her date with Tadano in particular (which was a breath of fresh air). I also enjoyed her summer festival date with Wakai (Accidentally calling a girl ‘mum’ on the first date? I'd die). Those moments are lovely. But feel diluted...

^^ In this moment I felt like her relationship with Wakai might become really interesting akoakjsndnasd

I said up above that I think KCC is in its Silver Age. Well, there's a major reason why. The magic isn't lost, but it's faded ever so slightly without the golden lustre of our favourite gyaru's hair......

But who knows what'll happen next? Oda surprises me constantly, and I think that's one of the things I love so much about this series. Right when he starts to lose me, Oda reels me back in. A comeback for Rumiko could be right around the corner.

Emoi Surprise Attack

This is the loosest of my categories. What can I say? I'm a loose girl. No... uh... pretend I didn't say that. It's true, but this isn't the time or place.

These stories are related insofar as the last few months of 2023 have been a grab-bag of minor characters receiving surprising and heartfelt little stories. Ogiya, Emoyama, Fuki, and Yadano were joke characters who never seemed destined for serious attention, but every one of them came out swinging and hit a home run... wiht our hearts............... they sent our hearts into the stands.........

Michita is new, and I hope we see her again soon.

Anything more I have to say about these chapters would require talking about them individually, which is beyond the scope of this section. So let's do a lightning round:

Ogiya – PHENOMINAL

Emoyama – PHENOMINAL

Also, Hello Moromi-san. Is there a woman in your life? Can we be Mrs. And Mrs. Emoyama?

Fuki – PHENOMINAL

Yadano – PHENOMINAL

Michita – PHENOMINAL

AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGG!!!!!!!!! (cry of Emoi)

There you have it.

----------------------------------

So ends the overview!! If you're bothered I didn't talk about something in particular, don't worry; the Emoi Awards get more specific. There's sooooo much that I left out in the pursuit of brevity.

I want to make a special note of the reveal in Ch. 407 – Interview. Komi plans to study International Communication in university. I was anticipating the reveal of her course of study, and I wasn't disappointed. It could not have been anything else.

My overall feeling about the series at the moment? Great!!!! I complain bitterly at times (I'm a whiny, weeny windbag) and I'm at my harshest when I'm forming first impressions. But going over 2023 and remembering all the good times brought into perspective how much fun it's been. It also really put into perspective how much Komi has grown as a person. She’s so confident now compared to where she started from...

So... yeah!

And now the contentious business begins...

The Emoi Awards

Paam pa du paam!!!!! (that's fanfare)

Now it's time to get granular. This is the cream of the crop. The best of the blessed. The chapters and moments that had all of us laughing, giggling, chuckling, guffawing, weeping, sobbing, and crying.

My opinions about Komi Can't Communicate are perfect and definitive, so if you disagree with me about any of this... argue vehemently with me. I'm not joking. Don't be mean to me or I'll cry, but do please tell me your opinions! The more you talk to me about Komi, the more powerful I become. Mweh heh heh heh heh heh

Here are the categories:

(My) Top Five Chapters of the Year

(My) Top 5 Chapters of the Year

Most Emoi Moment

Funniest Joke

Reader’s Choice

I did NOT expect this to be so hard. I had to firmly limit myself to only five choices... and I was tearing my hair out. This mANGA IS SO GOOD ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

Listed in order of publication (love has no hierarchy. Except in kink).

1. Chapter 392 - Kawai is...

Kawai spends the entire study camp being a fierce enemy to Komi, then stays up late and has an emotional heart-to-heart on the beach with her, then runs 20kms all the way home... and by noon the next day she's in Komi's house to propose marriage. And she's already been to Tadano's to do the same. Bisexual, polyamorous, and a serious go-getter. When Kawai wants something, she spares no expense.

My regards to the future prime minister of Japan. It's a shame Rumiko didn't think of this first.

But seriously, though; I laughed out loud the whole way through this chapter. I was delighted to no end. If I ever doubted Tomohito Oda's ability to surprise me, that doubt was erased forever. Kawai was a good character, in one fell swoop she became legendary.

I love you, Kawai.

2. Chapter 406 - My Name is Kuro

Maybe I'm biased about Rei Natsukido. Maybe I'm biased because this was the first chapter on which I made a Komi Report. Either way, I'm biased and okay with that. Having Rei and Mira around for a visit all the way from America was so much fun, and we got the return of Komi Can't Communicate's #1 best character – Princess Elizabeth Alexandrine Georgine Jeanne Catherine Christiane.

I love that Mira acts all cool and distant but can't stop herself from becoming invested. I love how passionate and imaginative Rei is about the game. I love how Komi is just along for the ride and she's having a blast. I love that Komi is playing a boy character.

(Ch 169 – Playing With Dolls)

And I love their funky plush toys.

I love you, Rei and Mira.

3. Chapter 410 - Cicada-rrounded

Hiki Komorebi is yet another S Tier character. Unrelated to that; her height is so funny to me. She looks crazy tall next to the other characters - she even has a complex about it - and then you find out she's only 180cm. Japanese people are short.

Anyway,

Cicada-rrounded has this complete twist in the middle where it goes from a heartwarming reunion to a battle for survival against icky bugs. Komi and Hiki meeting again was built up for so long, and it's a beautiful moment,

and then it gets de-railed immediately in the best and funniest way possible.

I would go so far as to say this is a perfect chapter of Komi Can't Communicate. It's equal parts sentiment and comedy, and kills it on both fronts. If I had to pick a #1 favourite from these 5? I might maybe possibly be inclined to consider this one.

I love you, Hiki. Also Akira

4. Chapter 411/412 - A Two Person Summer Festival Stroll/The Second Time

I already gushed about these two in the overview section. What more is there to say? Except that it's a little annoying how Tadano remains so timid about romance stuff; but it gives us so many opportunities for assertive Komi to come out, so that's alright.

Komi is kinda like that... aosjkdoaksdokansdnajiosd. Get it, girl.

(Ch. 427 - Cool)

I love you, Komi and Tadano

(This special edition of The Komi Report continues in Part 2)

#komi can't communicate #komi san wa komyushou desu #komi #komi report #the komi report #komi shoko #shoko komi

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topweeklyupdate · 3 years

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TØP Bi-Yearly Update #139: Don't You Shy Away (From Blogging About Fan Culture) (4/16/21)

Well... this week has been interesting!

A few years ago- heck, just one year ago- it would have been inconceivable to imagine Twenty One Pilots entering into a new era and me not being all over it. When Trench was released, I was practically a daily update page, covering every new drop of info as I reached it. Admittedly, a lot's changed since then. Some of those changes are just a matter of how much time and energy I have to run a blog. As I said ten days ago when it became clear that a new era was coming, I am deep into my doctoral work at the moment (and, due to defending my dissertation prospectus next Friday, will not be able to post next week either).

But there have also been some fundamental shifts in how I approach fan culture. The events of the last year, in the world and in my personal life, have made me really confront the problems inherent with holding people up onto a pedestal, of devoting any part of your life to following a stranger's, and of parasocial relationships in general. I cannot go back to the same mentality I formed in 2013 and kept until somewhere between 2017-19 where the music that I liked was a core part of my personality and writing about the people who made it was a thing that gave me purpose.

At the same time, though, I cannot pretend that I don't still love the band that provided me with indescribably valuable comfort at a time in my life where I needed it. Twenty One Pilots' music, message, and fan community carried me from one place to the next, and so did this blog. They're always going to be a part of me, my interests, and my history. So, yeah; I'm gonna keep writing about them, just with perhaps a little less gusto. And that's a healthy thing!

But boy, is there a lot to gush about. I don't know about the rest of you, but "Shy Away" has only continued to grow on me over the last week, leaving me very excited about the future of our band moving into the Scaled and Icy era.

Recap's under the "Read More". But before that, just gotta say (since I haven't for awhile): Power to the local dreamer.

|-/ (I ain't changing the logo, Tyler, you doof.)

Ok, so y'all don't need me to explain everything that's gone down in Cliqueland over the last two weeks. We had dmaorg updates that were quickly overshadowed by promo posters for Scaled and Icy (which, of course, is just an anagram of "Clancy is Dead", because Tyler Joseph hates me personally) featuring our new icon mascot, Trash the Dragon and an album tracklist. We had a sweet new website launch with plenty of nifty Easter eggs and the promise of an exciting livestream performance on the album's release date, May 21, after well over a year off the stage. We had several interviews where we got intel over when to expect a tour (no clue), where Ned's at (missing), and if the album's being produced under duress from Dema (no comment).

More importantly than all of that, we had a dope new electro-indie song/tutorial for Jay's music drop. After I initially responded with a somewhat subdued "This is fun", "Shy Away" has just continued to worm its way deeper and deeper into my brain; I'm still humming it every hour or so. I cannot wait to someday hear a room full of people yell "I LOVE YOU (ooh ooh)" in harmony. The music video, directed by Miles Cable and AJ Favicchio, is somewhat light on narrative unless you fall down some Reddit rabbit holes, but has some nifty visuals (and space buns). More exciting for me is seeing another BTS video from Mark; it's been over two years since we've gotten to see Tyler and Josh at work, joking around with each other between takes, and that's such comfort.

Clearly, lots of folks are also digging this song. While it's still early, "Shy Away" has been outperforming "Level of Concern" at this same point in its release, having the best debut performance from an alternative song at Billboard since... "Jumpsuit". We'll see if this poppier track catches on better with radio audiences than other TØP tracks have since Blurryface and deliver the band another bona fide hit. I'll admit, I'm skeptical- I haven't heard anything quite like this cross over to the Top 40 in a few years now, it's gonna need to have some time to grow on people, and those promising early numbers are starting to trail off. I'm excited to be proved wrong!

That's about all I've got for now. Like I said earlier, I don't plan on releasing another update until two weeks from now, but I might change that plan if they happen to mess around and drop another track over the next week. We'll see. I'm excited. My band's back in action! Stuff's wild.

Once again, power to the local dreamer.

|-/

#twenty one pilots #tyler joseph #josh dun #shy away #scaled and icy #billboard #top weekly update

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since-it-must-be-so · 3 years

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A Wild Sheep Chase: Chapter 2 of Choujin X!

It's here! I've gushed about the chapter over at my Twitter, but like I said in my previous post, I want to see how the story progresses and keep a log about it. So here it goes!

Background info on Ely Otsuta

So before we delve into Chapter 2 which almost exclusively featured Ely... Let's take note of the new things we learned about Ely:

She's from a rural prefecture. I think she lives in the mountainside specifically since that's where she grows her tomatoes.

She's a greenthumb (we already kinda knew this from the previous chapter but we learn more about her life pre-Choujin X). I understand that even if the soil is infertile, she's able to grow tomatoes so nutritious and plump. So plump, they resemble butts, hence, "bumbums!" It appears she uses advanced equipment for her farming stuff. So yeah, based on these, it's established Ely has a green thumb!

Oh, and it appears that it's clarified that her "Grandpapi" whom she talks about in the 1st chapter is an adoptive grandfather (not biological, hence, maybe in the future we'd know her parents and learn why Ely is special).

It's just me but I get the impression that Ely is being introduced as some sort of "fertility" choujin, since she also dreams of having 9 kids. Haha!

It's kinda weird though why the burning tomato has a face. Was it just from her dream, since after plucking a bumbum - she woke up? Hmm, after some thought, I think the burning tomato with a face is just from her dream.

Ely Wakes Up from Reality

When Ely woke up, she finds herself in the South Yamato prefecture. Okay, so I think this leaning tower of some sort has a significance to the story.

It's featured in every spread with the title "Choujin X" and also in the last chapter. Can you see it? Maybe it has something to do with how the powers are made, like pollution-related or a botched experiment. Dunno. Just my wild speculation.

A Wild Sheep Chase

This is the exciting part. So when Ely wakes up, Chandra Hume offers to "escort" her, but really it appears he wants to kidnap her. And from, *checks the manga* page 10 to 40, we have Ely running away from Chandra until she fell in what looks like a similar area where Tokio and Azuma fought Johnny Kiyoshi Takeyama.

The chase sequence consisting of 30 pages were so fun and I was smiling all the while I was reading! Ely is so cute trying to parkour her way through the buildings (kinda reminds me of Touka?? I miss Touka!). Chandra looks really cool, he seemed to be flying too, using his powers (more on that later)!

But not to be outdone, Ely borrows a "Roller Boy Yay-Yay" which basically is a scooter with something that resembles a driver's wheel. Its literal translation of ローラーBOYイェイ・イェイ -- which, checking Twitter and in Ishida's latest live stream, I think the locals found it hilarious too. Ishida is just unleashing his crazy here, I love it!

After that sequence, we get the tractor and sheep chase. Ah! I love it.. So what happened is that, Chandra and Ely fall off from their Roller Boy Yay-Yay. Ely who just claimed she can outrun Chandra if she were riding a tractor, suddenly found one right in front of her! Then Chandra lands near a gang... or should I say, a flock of sheep-bikers. They're all wearing these Kanji-printed tracksuits and basically look like they're a bunch of delinquents? They even describe themselves as "cryptid bikers"... Cryptid supposedly means mysterious? Idk why the weird choice of words for the translation though.

Funnily, I was just reading Haruki Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase (羊をめぐる冒険 --- Hitsuji o meguru bōken or literally An Adventure Surrounding Sheep). I wonder if this scene something to do with this book?

Anyway, Chandra entices the sheep to help hip capture Ely by bribing them with a Docomo flip phone. I don't know why a flip phone - could mean the following: (a) the sheep are so poor, a flip phone is cool; (b) maybe flip phones are a status symbol in that universe; (c) maybe the setting is in the 2000s when the flip phones really were all the rage.

So they all chase Ely, but Chandra suddenly has a car too. Someone on Twitter said it's a Porsche? But I can't tell, though Chandra said his car is a four-wheel drive... Heh? Idk what to do with this info.

As for Ely, she is really good with the tractor as she said. The hilarity of outrunning motorcycles and what could be a Porsche. That tractor prowess! Later on, Chandra and the other sheep figure into an accident with a "safety-loving" truck (oh the irony, lol). Chandra flew off the car and so did his fancy shoes...

Ely didn't exactly come out unscathed. Ishida allocated 4 double spreads for this epic fall. Some of the sheep definitely should have died from that spectacular accident.

At first, Ely was smug about escaping the sheep. But then, I think she was moved by compassion and I think she hurt herself in order to revive the sheep. I just wonder though, how she learned to do that?

Then we get another awesome double spread of her transformation, similar to Tokio's. Augh Ishida-sensei. These are soooo good!!!!

Because of her transformation, the whole area was engulfed with smoked and I think the sheep were effectively revived. It appears Chandra saw all this (while he was regenerating... so we now know choujins or at least smoke choujins like Chandra has regenerative powers), hence he marveled at Ely's newfound power. It was kinda confirmed that Ely was responsible for keeping the casualties to a minimum. Specifically he said Ely possesses: quick judgment, though resolve, persistence... making her a human with the makings of a choujin... while also kinda noting Ely's silliness.

Here we go again with Chandra's "fancy gentleman" facade... Even the way he talks is fancy ("I am well-acquainted with the roads here") but more than that... he's self-important. I talked about my other views on his character on Reddit. I get the impression he's something of a "Choujin supremacist", you know what I mean? So, he wants to kinda recruit Ely into his organization or whatever.

Ely is righteous

So we see that Ely is further introduced as a good character, standing up against Chandra and rejecting his offer to be his pupil or something. Ely was clearly upset about the grandma getting hurt (did she die? I hope she didn't) and made it clear she would never join him. Chandra takes offense at this rejection, especially when Ely said Chandra is worse than a turd.

As Chandra tries to inflict pain on Ely (something about marking her on the face), she recalls her resolve from Chapter 1: drones for farming, a greenhouse, her grandpappy, a mansion, the big dog, paying back the kid for his roller boy yay-yay, the Goldilocks hubbie, nine kids... But just before we can see if she can fight Chandra off...

The most handsome man of all Sui Ishida's works (haha!)

This buff mysterious man with a bandana reminiscent of the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles seemed to have blown Chandra and Ely (also the cars and motorcycles) away by a mere clap of his hands. It appears even Chandra is afraid of this guy and recognizes him... he leaves the scene using his smoke powers before the guy can do serious damage. I think his power has something to do with wind since there was like a little hint with all the ventilation stuff in the setting.

The guy manages to create a circle of protection around Ely. He tells Ely that Chandra's modus is to target "people with aptitude like Ely". He helpfully mends Ely's punctured hand with his bandana.... And when Ely looks up at his face, what do you know? Haha!

Our girl Ely has a love interest! Haha.

Tokio's Gregor Samsa moment

I've observed from the manga I've read that characters with transformation abilities always, always go through this adjustment period with the power. Gregor Samsa, Peter Parker, our boy Kaneki... Anyway, it seems Tokio doesn't know or can't turn back into a normal-looking person. But the last panel sure is interesting because we have them experiencing this transformation at the same time. Also, since it reminds me of Touka and Ayato's volume cover. I hope they find each other soon though!

Types of Choujins and initial premises on the Power of Choujins

So there are 3 confirmed types so far: Flexi (Johnny), Bestial (our boy Tokio), and Smoke. It seems that pretty boy Hoshi doesn't have a category yet, but like I said I think his has something to do with air or ventilation lol.

We learned that Chandra is a Smoke Choujin, and Ely is now one too and she was may have been somehow infected by Chandra's smoke/fumes. It appears now that there are 2 ways to become a choujin: injection and inhalation. Chandra wonders if Ely was infected with his power... But I'm thinking the infection theory might not be that accurate. After all, it seems Ely has a green thumb.

But, I think as Chandra said, only some people have an aptitude for this. So, Ely and Tokio are examples. I wonder if Azuma also has choujin powers or did it not manifest yet? Is the aptitude inherent or something you can acquire? If so, what does Tokio have that Azuma doesn't, especially since everyone thinks Azuma is "better" than Tokio in all aspects?

We'll find out in Chapter 3 more or less!! I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes! I'd like to hear your thoughts or comments if any :)

#choujinx #choujin x #sui ishida #ishida sui #elyotsuta #tokiokurohara #tokio kurohara #ely otsuta #azumahigashi #azuma higashi #hoshi sandek #chandra hume #chandrahume #chandlerhume #chandlerfume #hoshisandek #超人x

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