Speed run to the Final showdown
https://mangadex.org/chapter/127830b6-b20f-43c9-83e7-55cf791e17a1/1
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Speed run to the Final showdown
https://mangadex.org/chapter/127830b6-b20f-43c9-83e7-55cf791e17a1/1
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Do I smell an approaching end? The mother of all brawls seems a bit rushed.
Not that I mind when battles are quickly over, on the contrary.
It sure seems like it. If that's the case it begs the question if it was really worth it. As much as I don't like thus loop I will still hold my gudgement if it was necessary or not until we see how this concludes.
Still, kinda telling if the thing that entertained me the most this arc is a terrible character constantly shouting VIIIIIVVVOOOOO!!!
Just end it already
https://mangadex.org/chapter/189bebab-ee8e-41fa-a740-cd605a571f27/1
This is what happens when you write yourself in a corner and have a final showdown against the final bosses who are way above your protagonist's league. Lots of bullshit.
And of course the best new character is sacrificed for fodder.
Same old every week. At this point I just want to what this final loop is leading to and why it all couldn't have ended with the previous one. Because even if there's a good reason for why the story couldn't have concluded last time, at this point I really don't think that it's worth it. This turns more and more into a trainwreck with each new chapter.
The final loop Takemechi strangles a baby Mikey in the crib.
Takemichi wedding crasher
https://mangadex.org/chapter/bb30aa26-84b6-4305-9f20-051c0afc26de/1
Surprised that we didn't go for the usual flashback after how the previous chapter ended.
Nothing surprising here
https://mangadex.org/chapter/8eea05a4-0873-42fb-b376-1500a5fbdb9b
Can we skip to the end?
https://mangadex.org/chapter/f8b9a702-bb19-4df8-9b28-aeb408a0073b/1
Funny how it suddenly started to fast forward and at the end still feels like it's going too slow.
I think it took me 25 seconds to read this chapter
The fact that this is one of the best selling manga in the country baffles me.
I kinda can see, until the Kisaki arc we had an actual threat. Who was this guy that keeps trying to kill me and the girl I was in love, and the theoretical second time looper.
Them that arc resolved underwhelming-ly but got a future we could move forward for closure, and then dragged us once more.
This series was actually amazing until this arc. I mean One Piece has been living of uts pre-timeskip built up success for over a decade now so it's not like TR is anything special in that department.
Yeah, I can definitely see why it was successful based on the Kisaki arc. I eventually grew tired of the giant brawl battles, but if the series had ended at the previous loop with crime overlord Mikey while the rest lived happy ever after ? Would have been one damn fine manga with a nice bittersweet conclusion.
It's amazing how different (in a bad way) this latest loop feels. Maybe author fatigue is a thing after all.
Not much to say on the current chapter. Seems like this time everyone else will die to save Mikey's ungrateful ass anyway, not much we can do about it.
I've just never seen what other people see in this manga. Yeah it has his moments but it's always been massively hampered by having the pussiest of protagonists. Someone who constantly fails in saving anyone, always acts like a massive tool and whose one redeeming feature is being able to tank as many hits as the plot requires. I've read people compare him to Usopp which not really because Usopp can actually do things other than tank a punch.
What also doesn't help that I do not give a fuck about Mikey and how everyone will move heaven and earth to save him. Mikey is the most high maintenance annoying friend possible and after the last arc when he promised to take care of protag's friends only to go and become super evil BECAUSE HIS DARKNESS IS TOO MUCH, it's like just let him rot and burn.Like before you had the benefit of the doubt that he was being emotionally manipulated but now? lol
Was also never a fan of all these characters having life changing events when they are like 5 years old
Kisaki was dumped by his true love when he was a kid? I will dedicate my whole life to manipulating this dude to become a famous criminal leader so I can take his place and kill my my crush and his girl.
That's actually the unique trait this series has. The protagonist is not just a guy that is strong or gets stronger the more he fights. He is a weak pathetic piece of shit. He starts out as a loser but then he get's put into a situation where he has to grow over himself to stop the thing he evidentally knows is going to happen. He's pretty much Usopp done right. Usopp reverts each arc to the guy he was before. Takemichi mans up more and more but doesn't actually really get stronger. He inspires others with his unbending will, which is very refreshing. Of course this current shitshow of an arc threw this out of the window by suddenly giving him some sort of a power up.
@TLC:
Was also never a fan of all these characters having life changing events when they are like 5 years old
It's not really that different from One Piece where the main cast has had their life changing events when they were little kids.
As for me, I was in it for the experience of grown-up Takemichi reliving his childhood; it gets diluted eventually, though, and these days you don't feel anymore the voice of the adult and his perspective on the past. Early on, when it is not yet apparent that the protag is a one-trick-tank, that weakness of his actually made me like him, but I can see it getting tiresome after a while. I also loved how humane some of the wharacters were written ; Draven, Mikey's stepsister, the guy who murdered Mikey's brother, even Pa-chin during the prison arc. Plus the hide-and-seek with Kisaki loop after loop - until you learn his motivation, which is admittedly stupid. Still, I loved the suspense while it was unclear whether Kisaki himself was a time-traveling mastermind.
But yes, it is increasingly frustrating to see Takemichi fail again and again. And I couldn't agree more with your take on Mikey, aside from kicking ass dude never did anything in the series to justify the blind devotion he receives from everyone and their sister.
That's actually the unique trait this series has. The protagonist is not just a guy that is strong or gets stronger the more he fights. He is a weak pathetic piece of shit. He starts out as a loser but then he get's put into a situation where he has to grow over himself to stop the thing he evidentally knows is going to happen. He's pretty much Usopp done right. Usopp reverts each arc to the guy he was before. Takemichi mans up more and more but doesn't actually really get stronger. He inspires others with his unbending will, which is very refreshing. Of course this current shitshow of an arc threw this out of the window by suddenly giving him some sort of a power up.
At least Usopp has legit, satisfying wins and contributions under his belt. You can make the argument that his character has been static but that applies and is a problem with all One Piece characters. Takemichi never really contributed anything other than getting hit in the face and inspiring other cooler dudes to bail him out. And honestly I never found him thay charismatic a character to begin with, literally the only thing he has going was his unrealistic ability to tank hits to the face, something that got more and more ridiculous as he kept facing more monstrous dudes who honestly wouldn't have hesitated to just stab or shoot him in the face if not for the plot. It was a cute gimmick at first but quickly wore out its welcome when it became obvious Takamichi was never going to actually train to become stronger physically. He never even matures mentally either, he just gets more resolve while still making horrible mistakes and failing spectacularly.
It's not really that different from One Piece where the main cast has had their life changing events when they were little kids.
There is a difference between my mother was murdered in front of my eyes and I was enslaved to protect my village and this guy was mean to me when I was growing up so I am gonna start a rival gang to beat him. Not saying some of the characters don't have justifiable traumas like Mike or the dude with the abusive brother but guys like Kisaki make me stop and go "really dude, all that planning for that?"
@TLC:
At least Usopp has legit, satisfying wins and contributions under his belt. You can make the argument that his character has been static but that applies and is a problem with all One Piece characters. Takemichi never really contributed anything other than getting hit in the face and inspiring other cooler dudes to bail him out. And honestly I never found him thay charismatic a character to begin with, literally the only thing he has going was his unrealistic ability to tank hits to the face, something that got more and more ridiculous as he kept facing more monstrous dudes who honestly wouldn't have hesitated to just stab or shoot him in the face if not for the plot. It was a cute gimmick at first but quickly wore out its welcome when it became obvious Takamichi was never going to actually train to become stronger physically. He never even matures mentally either, he just gets more resolve while still making horrible mistakes and failing spectacularly.
That's exactly what I meant, it's something different. And while nothing wrong with going for legit wins under ones belt the more series you read the more this same concept kinda loses the impact. Also personally speaking I've got a soft spot for the thing Sylvester Stallone said in Rocky Balboa which roughly paraphrased is "life is not about how hard you can punch but about how much you can take a beating and get up again". Takemichi to me symbolises that pretty well. He's an absolute pathetic lost cause but then again he finds more and more of his courage to confront people far stronger than him, which definitely is something admirable because usually people would not pick a fight they know they cannot win. Again, fair enough if that's not your thing, but it's definitely something different built on a real life character trait of not giving up no matter how much the odds are against you.
There is a difference between my mother was murdered in front of my eyes and I was enslaved to protect my village and this guy was mean to me when I was growing up so I am gonna start a rival gang to beat him. Not saying some of the characters don't have justifiable traumas like Mike or the dude with the abusive brother but guys like Kisaki make me stop and go "really dude, all that planning for that?"
That was not your original point though which I replied to. You commented on how all those character have life changing events on when they are little kids to which I replied that same applies to One Piece. What kind of life changing events they are, is was not your original point. It's also not something I would disagree with you on.
That's exactly what I meant, it's something different. And while nothing wrong with going for legit wins under ones belt the more series you read the more this same concept kinda loses the impact. Also personally speaking I've got a soft spot for the thing Sylvester Stallone said in Rocky Balboa which roughly paraphrased is "life is not about how hard you can punch but about how much you can take a beating and get up again". Takemichi to me symbolises that pretty well. He's an absolute pathetic lost cause but then again he finds more and more of his courage to confront people far stronger than him, which definitely is something admirable because usually people would not pick a fight they know they cannot win. Again, fair enough if that's not your thing, but it's definitely something different built on a real life character trait of not giving up no matter how much the odds are against you.
Different strokes I guess but the concept of having a proactive protagonist with agency who accomplishes things directly instead of being so pitiable that the people around him accomplish what he wants for him is not something I treated as a trope that could get cliche but rather a standard prerequisite for any story worth its salt. It's fine if they are weak and need to grow stronger or overcome their disadvantages with strategy or charisma or anything else but the most important thing is that they are actively fighting for their goals in whatever way they can and surpass their obstacles while showing a drive to improve themselves. Takamichi doesn't do these things, he never matures physically or mentally, he never really drives the story forward but just goes with the flow of the story events and reacts to them, he has never even taken so much as a self defense class or gone to the gym. The only thing he has going for him is his comical ability to take damage which has long surpassed the suspension of disbelief and isn't due to any special training or talent he may have but because it's what the plot demands. He's just a wimp and the idea that all these tough ass gangsters are inspired by him is a joke, it'd be one thing if he offered some special insight or exuded any charisma or ever properly made use of his future knowledge but all he ever does is leave his mouth gaping as he makes redundant comments on what's happening which we the readers already know and don't need him to tell us. "He's so and so of the so and so gang!?!" And he always, even with all his future foresight advantages, fails to save people when it really counts losing Baji, Mikey's sister, Draken (who he saved but then got killed anyway because HE HAS TO SAVE MIKEY NO MATTER WHAT). I can't fucking stand Takamichi, absolutely one of the worst protagonists I've ever read in a series, if you like him, more power to you, I hate him. He's just a side character in other peoples' stories and believe me when I say I've seen the whole side character inspiring main characters and contributing in their own little but very important ways done much better in way better series.
That was not your original point though which I replied to. You commented on how all those character have life changing events on when they are little kids to which I replied that same applies to One Piece. What kind of life changing events they are, is was not your original point. It's also not something I would disagree with you on.
I guess I wasn't clear enough in my original point, what I meant to say is I find it ridiculous that in a normal japan setting not a fantasy story, so many characters swear blood oaths and define their entire futures over events that happened to them as children. Like the manga treats these elementary to middle school squabbles as the most epic life changing things and maybe I'm being a grouch in my thirties but I look at these kids and just think they need to grow up.
Also on a tangent, where are the fucking cops or the yakuza, why is it these kids are constantly getting to have gang wars that are shaping the landscape of power and control in Japan lol
I think the point to defend elements of this series is already past, but hey I managed to finish Naruto, Bleach and Fairy Tail. I'm still no offended as much as by those.
@TLC:
Different strokes I guess but the concept of having a proactive protagonist with agency who accomplishes things directly instead of being so pitiable that the people around him accomplish what he wants for him is not something I treated as a trope that could get cliche but rather a standard prerequisite for any story worth its salt. It's fine if they are weak and need to grow stronger or overcome their disadvantages with strategy or charisma or anything else but the most important thing is that they are actively fighting for their goals in whatever way they can and surpass their obstacles while showing a drive to improve themselves. Takamichi doesn't do these things, he never matures physically or mentally, he never really drives the story forward but just goes with the flow of the story events and reacts to them, he has never even taken so much as a self defense class or gone to the gym. The only thing he has going for him is his comical ability to take damage which has long surpassed the suspension of disbelief and isn't due to any special training or talent he may have but because it's what the plot demands. He's just a wimp and the idea that all these tough ass gangsters are inspired by him is a joke, it'd be one thing if he offered some special insight or exuded any charisma or ever properly made use of his future knowledge but all he ever does is leave his mouth gaping as he makes redundant comments on what's happening which we the readers already know and don't need him to tell us. "He's so and so of the so and so gang!?!" And he always, even with all his future foresight advantages, fails to save people when it really counts losing Baji, Mikey's sister, Draken (who he saved but then got killed anyway because HE HAS TO SAVE MIKEY NO MATTER WHAT). I can't fucking stand Takamichi, absolutely one of the worst protagonists I've ever read in a series, if you like him, more power to you, I hate him. He's just a side character in other peoples' stories and believe me when I say I've seen the whole side character inspiring main characters and contributing in their own little but very important ways done much better in way better series.
I can see where you're coming from. He definitely has some negative aspects that even in this situation are not admirable. But I don't think that it's all negative. On one hand I agree that he's not proactive but on the other hand I don't really because of the situation he's in. He got into this time loop thing by accident and even if he's figured out how the timeloop works, it's not really something that gives him free time to accomplish things like taking self defense classes or actually take his time to set up an ideal situation where he could be what you would consider proactive. He's literally fighting a countdown everytime he looped. Before this new Mikey-related nonesense started, he always looped back to stop an event that is about to happen soon in order to fix the future. That doesn't really leave him with much options on what to do, so hardly something that could be held against him.
Also as far as his ability to take a beating is concerned, I don't see this being a bigger stretch as all those ridiculous punches and kicks people are pulling being a thing. If we can accept that people can be sent flying left and right by sheer weak teenagers then I'm having to problems believing that the other end of the same spectrum, in other words taking a beating, is possible too.
I guess I wasn't clear enough in my original point, what I meant to say is I find it ridiculous that in a normal japan setting not a fantasy story, so many characters swear blood oaths and define their entire futures over events that happened to them as children. Like the manga treats these elementary to middle school squabbles as the most epic life changing things and maybe I'm being a grouch in my thirties but I look at these kids and just think they need to grow up.
But it is the most epic thing at that point in their life. You act like you've never been that age. Young people that age always think that this is the big, epic and most defining moments of their life because it's the first time that they are experiencing something that is not childs play. Of course the older you get the more you realize how insignificant this all is but at the point it happens, you feel like you're on top of the world.
Also on a tangent, where are the fucking cops or the yakuza, why is it these kids are constantly getting to have gang wars that are shaping the landscape of power and control in Japan lol
As somebody who lives in Japan I can assure you that this is a much closer depiction of actual Japan than something like Detective Conan where you witness a murder around every corner. Not saying that TR isn't blowing things way out of proportion but it definitely is MUCH closer than Detective Conan will ever be.
As somebody who lives in Japan I can assure you that this is a much closer depiction of actual Japan than something like Detective Conan where you witness a murder around every corner. Not saying that TR isn't blowing things way out of proportion but it definitely is MUCH closer than Detective Conan will ever be.
I'm going a bit off-topic here, but do you mean this in the sense that you do get the occasional teen gang brawl, or that the police and Yakuza aren't omnipresent (I haven't read Detective Conan, so no base for comparison on my end).
I'm going a bit off-topic here, but do you mean this in the sense that you do get the occasional teen gang brawl, or that the police and Yakuza aren't omnipresent (I haven't read Detective Conan, so no base for comparison on my end).
A mix of both actually. The police has never been omnipresent in the first place. And the Yakuza is kinda losing it's standing a bit which ironically also doesn't only mean good things. Don't get me wrong, they are still around but it appears that illigal things that only the Yakuza did back in the day is now lesser "regulated" for the lack of a better term, leading to a lot more indipendend kind of crooks trying to take advantage of the situation.
As far as biker gangs respectively young delinquents who get into these circles are concerned, from what I can gather they are definitely not as big a thing as several decades ago. Hence the critisism that the author of Tokyo Revengers is actually idolizing some aspects of Japan in those days making it appear more romantic that it actually was. But I digress, while those groups nearly don't have that standing as back then, there's still not a small number of young people living in exactly such an environment respectively creating it.
Man the torture here never stops.
Takemichi unlocked CoO
https://mangadex.org/chapter/6da3d4bf-3cab-4b90-ab66-032ccb327870/1
In all seriousness, I didn't find the chapter and the overall direction with this bad at all. Unfortunally the way how we got here ruins it big time. I feel there could and should have been a shorter route to get to this point. Even if it's at the risk of feeling rushed. I'd rather take a rushed job than a slog that ultimately achieves nothing but making us think of times when this series was better.
I don't know. It's such a 180° compared to how Takemichi's visions worked before, that this truly felt like the series jumping the shark.
"My whole life I've been this helpless guy whose sole strength is taking a punch, but lo and behold! Watch me turn the odds on DarkMikey because future vision"
Yeah, that part is kinda dumb. Like if I could see the future as Takemichi can do right now when being faced with Mike Tyson I'm sure that I had neither any idea how to dodge properly nor how to actually take advantage of a small opening that a world class boxer gives me. Rather than having to deal with all the crap that came before, perhaps showing a little montage of how Takemichi always did a bit (retcon) training not to defeat others but rather to defend himself. Could have been even explained like "you guys showed me how to better take care of myself but I never actually believed it could become useful to actually successfully launching an attack at a much stronger opponent". Heck, this is such a throwaway line I just came up with here and even if it would be a retcon it would still have worked better than all the VIIIIIIVVVVOOOOOOO we've gotten instead. [/VIIIIVVVOOOOO]
https://mangadex.org/chapter/ee56d17c-4c90-4b4d-bbb9-cd976f0924a6/1
I pretty much echo my last week's take. Didn't hate the chapter and the overall direction at all. But there surely would have been more elegant ways to get to this point. Rather than feeling "this interesting" because of a proper build up, I feel "this actually isn't that bad" instead.
https://mangadex.org/chapter/744737ee-74bd-4afb-a59f-f891a720e9de/1
Yep, this is definitely more interesting. Not masterclass stories but at least it creates some sort of mystery that inevitably will lead to answers. Still can't shake the 'too little, too late' effect it has on me.
Chapter 270:
https://mangadex.org/chapter/74a44188-110d-4fc5-8d71-b7cf015c0284/1
Honestly this is so much better. Who would have thought that in a story about time leaping and changing the future doing exactly that would be the most interesting aspect of the series?
Agreed. I wish we had come to this sooner and skipped the nonsensical gang slugfest
I really wonder who's to blame for this. The author or the editor? I can really see it both ways. One being the editor going crazy with anime generated popularity boost "we're super hot right now, so do more battles because that's what people want!". Or it's the opposite and the editor told tge author to just fuck things up and stay with what worked. Don't know man. Just sucks we had to go through this.
Chapter 271:
https://mangadex.org/chapter/4d8e62dd-2809-42d1-afd6-34f7276021a1/1
I'm utterly confused. And while I still am more interested in the current plot I feel this could have been handled with half the pages.
Killing a Hobo for time traveling powers seems...like a new way to achieve that. Bold move Cotton, now let's see how it plays out.
Yeah. Unless the murder proves pivotal for incoming events, I could have lived without knowing how Mikey's brother had gotten the powers.
why scarface has such a deep bond with Mikey to trigger the leap? And who did ended up killing a leaper in the present, Takemichi or the Cop?
Yeah, this entire killing to aquire the powers thing intregues and confuses me at the same time. I just hope it makes some actual sense in the overall premise of the story and doesn't turn out to be a retcon.
Yeah, it's hard to grasp at the moment. Could the dark impulse have appeared as a side-effect of using a power obtained through murder ? Some kind of permanent taint.
I like that idea. That would at least add some plot relevance to the murder. As it stands now there isn't much to it other than Shinichiro realizing it wasn't necessary at all.
But damn do those past batch of chapters draw me back into the story. I wonder if there really was no other way to get here. Like will there be a point in having had this many big brawls at a later point or did the author do it just because?
Right now I would say the second. Like, after some errance in gang howondaland the author looked back and decided to return to what the series was initially about.
But, who knows how it'll turn out.
I also fear if it's the second option. Would suck though if it was all for nothing. Not that it's going to make the slog of fights more entertaining if there was an actual reason for it but at least it would have served more of a purpose than it does so far.
My Nika I never expected "The Dark Impulses" to be properly addressed, but fuck that's bad.
I'm a bit torn with this chapter. I feel the execution definitely is bad but I don't really feel like the actual idea itself is bad. I catch myself halfwise feeling what the reveal wants me to feel but at the same time this all get's drowned by a feel of it being handled poorly.