Thread: Licensed Kaichou wa Maid-sama [Manga]
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Old 2013-04-03, 21:39   Link #239
zigantz22
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Aside from Usui's moment with Misaki and Gerald's touching conversation with his father, that was a pretty terrible chapter, concluding this incredibly disappointing arc with a plethora of uninteresting touches. The resolution to Usui and Misaki’s numerous complications, for instance, was far too rushed and largely uninteresting, devoid of the energetic atmosphere that typically permeates each arc. Following the 57th chapter, each arc or significant development has been meticulously foreshadowed and subsequently established as a nearing potential for the narrative to pursue, yet upon finally arriving at the fruition of said developments, such as the return of Misaki's father and Usui's diversion with the Walker family, their potential has been swiftly squandered, as though Fujiwara becomes tired with solely pursuing a singular thread.

For example, the elevation of Tora's feelings for Misaki wasn't interesting at all, since I've never given a damn about his intermittent appearances before this arc. He's always been an ancillary character that poses absolutely no threat to Misaki and Usui's relationship due to Misaki's inherent contempt for him. The forced kiss, most of all, was so damn unnecessary. It’s the worst, most overused cliché in the entirety of the romantic comedy genre, aside from the triangle itself, yet Tora, of all people, following eighty chapters of proper relationship development between Usui and Misaki, was seemingly “rewarded” by Fujiwara for his wrongly perceived “selflessness” throughout this arc. The gesture, however, was pointless, since he’s not some sympathetic character that deserves even a fragment of narrative pity, but, at the very least, his arc is now concluded, so he’s thankfully not going to be participating in the ruination of individual chapters again.

Rather than maintaining the status quo, Tora’s character should have actually developed throughout this arc, since it definitely seems to be his last appearance in the manga, or, at the very least, the last one of any significance. Instead though, we’re left with a tired portrayal of his worst tendencies, particularly in the latest chapter. As such, it's quite disappointing that Fujiwara felt mistakenly compelled to momentarily placate a perpetually cruel, selfish, and arrogant character. He never earned his repeated appearances, as they rarely amounted to anything more than a repetitious cycle of banal shipping moments and a consistent tendency to thoughtlessly manipulate Misaki for his selfish desires.

This chapter and the entire arc, for that matter, essentially illustrated that the quality of Fujiwara’s writing has gradually devolved over the last twenty chapters, since she’s been resorting to an abundance of unrealistic contrivances and detrimental cliches. Thankfully though, the end is finally approaching, which will benefit the story immensely, as it will assuredly remain focused on the futures of Usui and Misaki throughout, which Fujiwara excels at, despite the diminishing quality of the manga as a whole. In fact, the dramatics have been mediocre, if not worse, throughout the entire manga, since they’re completely unnecessary, and they typically illuminate a tonal dissonance that doesn’t belong in this particular story at all. It becomes especially evident when the execution of the lighthearted chapters and romantic developments is superbly handled in comparison.

Last edited by zigantz22; 2013-04-03 at 21:51.
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