Shounen no Abyss

[Kanon]

Spoiler for 98:

Fire happened. Once again, we don't know what happened behind the scenes, only that Uryu is the one who started it and that someone died. It's possible he went mad after seeing Yuko with an old man and killed the guy, and Yuko suggested torching the place to remove the evidence. Given what she would later go on to do with Gen, it wouldn't be surprising if she manipulated Uryu all the way.

But as I said, we'll only know the full truth once we get her side of the story.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Spoiler for 98:

Fire happened. Once again, we don't know what happened behind the scenes, only that Uryu is the one who started it and that someone died. It's possible he went mad after seeing Yuko with an old man and killed the guy, and Yuko suggested torching the place to remove the evidence. Given what she would later go on to do with Gen, it wouldn't be surprising if she manipulated Uryu all the way.

But as I said, we'll only know the full truth once we get her side of the story.

Spoiler for 98:

Yeah, thought the same thing about Uryu going ham and killing the guy, if unintentional. At first I thought Yuko could have done it, but quickly realized that she never directly dirties her hands on anything; always takes this passive motivator/manipulator role. After all, she did something similar with Gen. Quite diabolical really, but nothing new =0v.

Now the question whose answer I'm most anticipating is; how does this lead to Uryu's death? This man has shown nothing but pure dedication to being Yuko's protector and savior. Can't even imagine what would have went wrong there, but that event is still two years away from the end of the chapter. Still a long way to go to get that answer.

[frubam]

Spoiler for 100:

well it seems like Saki and Akira are going out. Honestly i didnt expect that given he left her confession unanswered in a prev chapter, even though she slept with him last chapter, but I guess this is a normal progression of things.

It's definitely clear that Saki knows Akira is still in love with Yuko. You can just see her anxiety every time Yuko is either seen or uttered. I just wish Akira was honest with her instead of giving her lies, like Yuko being at that restaurant. But I do understand; can't tell your new gf that your old one keeps popping up where you hang out.Then Saki comes into the restaurant. I did wonder for a sec if showing herself to Yuko was intentional. However, I did like how Saki waited for Akira to give a response to Yuko if they were dating or not. Such a good girl =03. But I didn't like how Akira hanged his head when answering yes, like he was ashamed. It was like Yuko saw right though him.

Not seeing where this supposed assault is going to affect Uryu and Yuko relationship. But maybe it's a hint that his over-agression will be why Yuko discards him. Or perhaps it was the restaurant meeting that convinced her that Akira was THE one.

[Kanon]

I really think there's going to be another flashback showing Yuko's POV, and it will change the reading of this one. All Nozoe makes are guesses, he doesn't know what she was thinking back then. He doesn't seem to realize how much she herself loved him, and I doubt that has ever changed. IMO she's as obsessed with him as he is with her, the difference is that she's in denial.

[MK-95-]

Are we still in the flashback arc or have we returned to the present? I've been neglecting this one as of late because I've been playing catch-up with a bunch of other manga (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, School Rumble, Noragami) and LNs (Spy Classroom).

I plan to jump back to this one sometime during the week, but that depends on how fast I wrap things up with Spy Classroom.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by MK-95-

Are we still in the flashback arc or have we returned to the present? I've been neglecting this one as of late because I've been playing catch-up with a bunch of other manga (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, School Rumble, Noragami) and LNs (Spy Classroom).

I plan to jump back to this one sometime during the week, but that depends on how fast I wrap things up with Spy Classroom.

Still in the flashback, but the story returned to the present for one chapter and there was an interesting development.

[frubam]

oh boi oh boi =0D!!!

Spoiler for 101:

Is it time? Is it finally gonna happen? The "suicide"?

The restaurant scene with Saki and Yuko a couple of chapters back made me think Akira truly wasn't into Saki, but perhaps he's doing his best to do right by her the only way he knows how. But it is clear that he really can't get over Yuko, even when he believes she's far out of his reach.

The only thing I can think about Uryu is that when Yuko saw Saki and Akira at the restaurant, and she realized Akira was still in love with her, she somehow decided to push Uryu into this corner. I'm not sure HOW she did it, but (once again) I can see it being like Gen where she's playing the victim role. But that's kind of a harder angle to play out compared to Gen, due to the superiority in strength that Uryu and his boys have shown(ie. shouldn't be many people that go against them at this point).

I'm not sure what the return-to-present moment was supposed to do with Yuko. I'm guessing she was also remembering that moment standing outside due to the rain, though not sure if the dialogue used about being impatient was supposed to be some kind of double use(meaning both present Yuko and past Akira thinking the same thing at that moment).That what it felt like anyway.

Originally Posted by Kanon

I really think there's going to be another flashback showing Yuko's POV, and it will change the reading of this one. All Nozoe makes are guesses, he doesn't know what she was thinking back then. He doesn't seem to realize how much she herself loved him, and I doubt that has ever changed. IMO she's as obsessed with him as he is with her, the difference is that she's in denial.

I.... had not actually thought about that; about if she still loved Nozoe. But you make an excellent observation. I guess it was because I always saw Nozoe as an obstacle to Yuko's plans, especially after that haughty meeting in the restaurant back in chapter 4X. I really hope we do get a Yuko POV. There are a lot of clues that she treated Nozoe different than all the other people, but I'd love to know exactly what she was thinking at certain integral points in the past arc.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by frubam

I.... had not actually thought about that; about if she still loved Nozoe. But you make an excellent observation. I guess it was because I always saw Nozoe as an obstacle to Yuko's plans, especially after that haughty meeting in the restaurant back in chapter 4X. I really hope we do get a Yuko POV. There are a lot of clues that she treated Nozoe different than all the other people, but I'd love to know exactly what she was thinking at certain integral points in the past arc.

When Nagi and Chako remarked that Reiji resembles Akira, I always thought it wasn't just because he's (probably) his father. Yuko tried to mold Reiji into Akira by providing him with a similar environment: Akira's mother threw fits all the time and made his life at home a living hell, she had the brother do the exact same thing. And just like Yuko was Akira's only solace in this town, she tried to play the same role with Reiji, but that failed because Akira introduced Nagi into the equation.

To me, Yuko's biggest regret is having been unable to shackle Akira to her and the town. Her using the name they chose for their future child for Reiji shows how much she cared about their promise from back then.

[Kanon]

Spoiler for 103:

Pretty much what I expected, Yuko comes to Akira to drop some very big hints about what she's about to do in order to get him to save her. Oh, and they had sex and Shinooka caught them. She survived her suicide attempt but I'd say she's out of the story now.

Oh, and it's getting a live action adaptation.

[frubam]

Spoiler for 103:

MAN, about time! I was feening for the next chp so bad....

Him having sex with Yuko is not all that much surprising in hindsight, but it wasn't something I expect would happen. I feel bad for Saki though; she definitely loves Akira, but she doesn't have any chance against the catastrophe know as Yuko. She had to have known though right? That he still loved Yuko; esp after the restaurant scene when Yuko appeared while they were at the table. I would say Akira was s**t trying to lie his way out, but I guess that's what you do when your current gf catches you with your clothes half off after just seeing you prev gf.

I don't think she's out the story just yet. I won't count her out until Akira goes to Tokyo, either with or without her.

Akira seemed to remember about Yuko talking about the lovers suicide, but forgot that she refused to do it when Akira asked because she wanted to have a child in that town. It would def be a Yuko move to be using this to re-ensnare Akira back unto her grasp; I wouldn't be surprised if she's using the lovers suicide BECAUSE of how impactful of an option it was to Akira. No doubt she was the one who cleaned up the fish and tank at the end, though its kinda hard to believe the meeting with Saki was planned... is what I'd like to say, but I remember an image of Yuko sneakily listening to Reiji's and Kazu's conversation and using that info to trick Kazu into being her stooge again(iirc, she got him a prostitute so when Reiji got home would dissuade himself from helping Kazu by giving him a large sum of money to escape(chp 82, pg 17)). Very possible she did that here.

One small detail that caught my attention was the kind of fish that was in the tank. The fish seem similar, if not the same, as the one he got for Nagi, and the tailfin reminded him of the first meeting with Yuko. But we already knew Nozoe couldn't forget about her.

Live adaptation now... anime later hopefully.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Oh, and it's getting a live action adaptation.

looked at the cast

The cast looks pretty similar to the manga caricatures, outside LA Chako not being quite chubby(and well-endowed) enough(though she looks KINDA plump; maybe its the uniform, but the head size+style definitely right, lol), and something feels off about Yuko's LA counterpart visually. Probably because I always imagined her with lighter brown, blonde, or even "white" hair. But her char will be defined by how well she acts for sure. Might actually check it out and see how well it gets adapted.

[Kanon]

They all look good except Yuko for me. The actress they got is just not beautiful enough. Yuko is supposed to be the number 1 beauty of the town (before Nagi got there).

[Kanon]

Flashback's over.

Spoiler for 105:

Akira as good as killed Uryu to save Yuko. I guess he didn't really have a choice since he didn't have the strength to rescue them both and Uryu wouldn't let go anyway. The "I hate you" moment wasn't included, guess we'll get it once we get Yuko's side. That said, Yuko is definitely the one who pushed Uryu on the brink so I consider it her fault.

Yuko has been described as an abyss but this time Esemori outright said she's a demon. And as if to prove him right, Yuko lures her new "daughter" into the clutch of Gen's father at the end of the chapter.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Flashback's over.

Spoiler for 105:

Akira as good as killed Uryu to save Yuko. I guess he didn't really have a choice since he didn't have the strength to rescue them both and Uryu wouldn't let go anyway. The "I hate you" moment wasn't included, guess we'll get it once we get Yuko's side. That said, Yuko is definitely the one who pushed Uryu on the brink so I consider it her fault.

Yuko has been described as an abyss but this time Esemori outright said she's a demon. And as if to prove him right, Yuko lures her new "daughter" into the clutch of Gen's father at the end of the chapter.

Great flashback! Can we get back to Chako now =03? Been worried about her all this time....

Spoiler for 105:

In 104, we finally get Saki's final farewell. I figured that they'd at least give her one more shot, but it was more to let Akira know that Yuko still loved him, since he didn't know(or didn't believe) she did. I also revealed that Saki was intentionally showing off to Yuko that she was dating Akira. The clues were there, sure, but I figured she was too kind to really do such a thing. That flashback between her and Yuko though, that was really spiteful. I wonder what Yuko felt in that moment?

In 105, not too surprised Akira was the one who killed Uryu, though I didn't know exactly how it'd go down. Yuko never gets her hands dirty directly after all. I oh-so-hate that they didn't show the actual deed; the looks on their faces in that exact moment could tell its own story, I'm sure. But if it wasn't already obvious, this definitely means we are getting a Yuko perspective. They HAVE to. Oh, and for the "I hate you" line too. Forgot about that.

Here's a thought though; if she always believed he would come, wouldn't that mean that the moment she decided to die with Uryu that Akira would come to save her? Which would mean she never expected herself to die, knew that pushing Uryu on the brink of suicide would eventually kill him, and Akira would become her savior? So when Nozoe comments about Yuko testing him and being ready to die, I wonder how true the "ready to die" part really is.

That ending portion where she takes Ms. Shiba to Gen's dad is something else. A true demon indeed. Never saw that coming even in the slightest. Now I wonder what her angle is going to be? She already knows Reiji and Gen tailed it to Tokyo, but what kind of plot could she be brewing with this move? Even if Gen's dad finds Gen and brings him back, what purpose is that going to have for Yuko to re-trap Reiji?

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by frubam

Great flashback! Can we get back to Chako now =03? Been worried about her all this time....

Spoiler for 105:

In 105, not too surprised Akira was the one who killed Uryu, though I didn't know exactly how it'd go down. Yuko never gets her hands dirty directly after all. I oh-so-hate that they didn't show the actual deed; the looks on their faces in that exact moment could tell its own story, I'm sure. But if it wasn't already obvious, this definitely means we are getting a Yuko perspective. They HAVE to. Oh, and for the "I hate you" line too. Forgot about that.

Spoiler for 106:

Well, we got to see Uryu's face, and he only expressed pure relief to finally be freed from Yuko. Yuko, as expected, didn't give a single crap about him.

And then the bomb was dropped: Esemori isn't Reiji's dad. And now we're getting into another flashback about Nagi...

[frubam]

Spoiler for 106:

I thought we'd never see Saki again, nor would she have anything to do with him after the hospital, but it looks like she was the final push Akira needed to move back out of the town. Not that it matters at this point, but I was real curious about the "friend" he borrowed the van from. It could have been her, since she's the only friend before moving again, not to mention how this "friend" convinced him to come back to visit his mother's grave.

Next arc might be about Nagi. I thought this for quite some time, but given that she wasn't a virgin, and thinking about another character from the author's previous work(Himegoto - Juukyuusai no Seifuku), I can only assume the worst.

Originally Posted by Kanon

Spoiler for 106:

Well, we got to see Uryu's face, and he only expressed pure relief to finally be freed from Yuko. Yuko, as expected, didn't give a single crap about him.

And then the bomb was dropped: Esemori isn't Reiji's dad. And now we're getting into another flashback about Nagi...

Its strange; when I see characters talk about Reiji "pulling them in", there's this sense of fascination to it all, but when it comes to Yuko, there's moreso this sense of dread in the end; and when they finally escape it(Yuko's), they're washed over with relief. Coincidentally, this includes Reiji himself. What is it really that makes them feel as such?

Funny you say that 'Yuko didn't give a single crap about him.' That's the same thing Reiji thought about when he and Yuko stabbed each other, and she was going on about him not properly acknowledging her. If that's the case for even Reiji, then what exactly DOES she care about? I thought it was just having someone that loves and adores her in that town, that will never leave her side, unconditionally, even against their own will so to speak. Makes me wonder to what end does all this other stuff, like manipulating Kazu(old news, but still) and Ms. Shiba is supposed to accomplish? Is it really like Nozoe said, and its "the Will of the Town" that's pushing her so far? It just feels like so much for so little....

I kinda figured about Nozoe not being the dad, but someone here persuaded me otherwise . Seriously though, it appears there wasn't a return to that town until his mother passed and he met Reiji. This means that the possibility of that guy(the one who took Reiji on that vacation to the beach with Kazu) being the father just shot up considerably. Of course it still could be possible that that was her brother(she briefly mentions him during the flashback), but it would make sense from a general standpoint for him to bust in and take Reiji if he was the father rather than brother. On the other hand, since he supposedly left the family before the flashback arc, its possible that he escaped "the will of the town"(assuming its a real thing) and Yuko was afraid that Reiji would fall in that line when he took her away; i.e. would become someone who has no qualms about leaving the family, hence why she desperately ran after them as they drove away.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by frubam

Spoiler for 106:

I thought we'd never see Saki again, nor would she have anything to do with him after the hospital, but it looks like she was the final push Akira needed to move back out of the town. Not that it matters at this point, but I was real curious about the "friend" he borrowed the van from. It could have been her, since she's the only friend before moving again, not to mention how this "friend" convinced him to come back to visit his mother's grave.

Next arc might be about Nagi. I thought this for quite some time, but given that she wasn't a virgin, and thinking about another character from the author's previous work(Himegoto - Juukyuusai no Seifuku), I can only assume the worst.



Its strange; when I see characters talk about Reiji "pulling them in", there's this sense of fascination to it all, but when it comes to Yuko, there's moreso this sense of dread in the end; and when they finally escape it(Yuko's), they're washed over with relief. Coincidentally, this includes Reiji himself. What is it really that makes them feel as such?

Funny you say that 'Yuko didn't give a single crap about him.' That's the same thing Reiji thought about when he and Yuko stabbed each other, and she was going on about him not properly acknowledging her. If that's the case for even Reiji, then what exactly DOES she care about? I thought it was just having someone that loves and adores her in that town, that will never leave her side, unconditionally, even against their own will so to speak. Makes me wonder to what end does all this other stuff, like manipulating Kazu(old news, but still) and Ms. Shiba is supposed to accomplish? Is it really like Nozoe said, and its "the Will of the Town" that's pushing her so far? It just feels like so much for so little....

I kinda figured about Nozoe not being the dad, but someone here persuaded me otherwise . Seriously though, it appears there wasn't a return to that town until his mother passed and he met Reiji. This means that the possibility of that guy(the one who took Reiji on that vacation to the beach with Kazu) being the father just shot up considerably. Of course it still could be possible that that was her brother(she briefly mentions him during the flashback), but it would make sense from a general standpoint for him to bust in and take Reiji if he was the father rather than brother. On the other hand, since he supposedly left the family before the flashback arc, its possible that he escaped "the will of the town"(assuming its a real thing) and Yuko was afraid that Reiji would fall in that line when he took her away; i.e. would become someone who has no qualms about leaving the family, hence why she desperately ran after them as they drove away.

I really can't wait for the POV to switch to Yuko. She's the most fascinating antagonist I've seen since Makima in Chainsaw Man.

[Kanon]

I wasn't expecting a release so soon.

Spoiler for 107:

Back to the flashback, again. Shino'oka is happily married with kids, so good for her, I guess.

We're going to see how far Esemori planned the events of the series. We first learned he didn't pick Nagi (just) because she has some screws loose, but because he saw her picture on Reiji's phone when he picked it up.

[frubam]

Originally Posted by Kanon

I wasn't expecting a release so soon.

That only means its gonna be a longer wait for the next one =0<....

Spoiler for 107:

Back to the flashback, again. Shino'oka is happily married with kids, so good for her, I guess.

We're going to see how far Esemori planned the events of the series. We first learned he didn't pick Nagi (just) because she has some screws loose, but because he saw her picture on Reiji's phone when he picked it up.

Spoiler for 107:

Yeah, good to see that she isn't just a forgotten character that is never used again once her role in the narrative was finished(though she still was letting him use her van, but as far as the main focus of the narrative, she is finished). I also thought she was broken in certain ways, but seeing her turn her life around gives me a bit of hope that the others may be able to do the same.

I wonder if Nozoe thought Reiji resembled himself in some way; idolizing a girl from afar while in reality, that particular girl's mind is broken. Honestly, I thought his plan was a bit more simplistic at first; as if he already knew what Reiji was to Yuko and grabbed a mentally-broken girl to take him away from her, but how he will come to that motive and what his actual execution was going to be(since they met the way they did by chance(supposedly)) I can't wait to find out.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by frubam

Spoiler for 107:

I wonder if Nozoe thought Reiji resembled himself in some way; idolizing a girl from afar while in reality, that particular girl's mind is broken. Honestly, I thought his plan was a bit more simplistic at first; as if he already knew what Reiji was to Yuko and grabbed a mentally-broken girl to take him away from her, but how he will come to that motive and what his actual execution was going to be(since they met the way they did by chance(supposedly)) I can't wait to find out.

Spoiler for 107:

He definitely sees himself in Reiji (and others characters do as well, like Nagi) and Nagi as Yuko. I forgot what his exact words were, but back when Reiji was in the hospital and he pushed Nagi away, Esemori seemed very disappointed he didn't manage to save her.

I think he wants Reiji to do for Nagi what he couldn't do for Yuko.

Him mentioning he's infertile felt like the author was twisting the knife
It also means things with Yuko would have never worked out, since she's wanted a child since she was a teenager. Now people are theorizing that Yuko isn't Reiji's mother either and that she's actually his aunt.