@fdsfgfs:
No, I understand, I just think it's a barrier to more widespread adoption.
I read a bunch of this up until recently, when I figured it was more or less over, or at least moving into a new era, and instead the same plotline seemed to start all. over. again. I'll probably give it another catch up in a few months to see where it goes.
I definitely agree that this is one reason for the failure of a widespread adaption.
I can relate to the feeling of it sounding like it's an all over again and while I agree that everything could have ended here somehow, when Kisaki got finaly defeated in the past it just didn't feel like the real end. The return to the present felt kinda epilouge-ish but the end of the final battle in the past and all the goodbye's just were lacking something. I don't know what but it just felt like this isn't the end so I'm ok with the thing which is now even announced by the author to be the final arc.
@RoboBlue:
Any idea if the anime is good?
Haven't seen the anime yet but it definitely is one of the reasons why it got more popular here.
@pariston_hill:
More problematic is the indirect glamorization of Bosozuko that were a ultra nationalistic criminal groups even if the author tries to make Takemichi reprove the actions of Kazaki and future Mike.
I was worried about this also but luckily there was the part (please don't ask me where exactly as I've just read the entire series in less than a week) where I think it was Draken (might be mistaken) was saying something along the lines of this entire delinquent groups being teenegers in their rebellious years. I'm very much paraphrasing here but that was the general gist of it. Plus I take it as a clear statement against this seeing that if you stick with such groups as an adult you end up doing criminal stuff while when you completely get out of it you live regular lives as adults and try to achieve your life goals each.
Of course I might be mistaken here but reading those parts it does come across that while the author definitely is signaling that there's also some "cool" aspects about those gangs, it definitely comes across at leading to nothing but ruin in the end. I mean if we're making that argument that he's glamorizing this then we might just aswell say that Oda is glamorizing piracy, which we all know is not the case.
On a completely different note, can anybody here clear up one part that I didn't really understand? Gonna put it in spoilers because it really is heave "endgame" spoilers…
! Moments before Kisaki kicks the bucket he confirms that he's not a time leaper. How can he then know that he constantly get's rejected by Hina in the future?