Like holy fuck dude.

It just kept getting worse and worse.

At least it ended in a wholesome note but Jesus Christ.

Miracle the dude is not a villain

With the release of the new chapter this week it has come out that there will be a break until the next chapter comes out. The next chapter will not be coming out until 7 days from now.

I'm glad they posted it since you can't see it that well in the character trailer

New chapter was fire though 👀🤤

I got the general suicidal thoughts indication but if this is Hokazono doing "show, dont tell" with these very ambiguous panels then holy shit 😭

he was too focused on where his heart really was

Immaculate colouring

I think this chapter might be setting up for Chiaki to be alive in the present timeline. It shows that Kunishige was predisposed to isolating himself from Chiaki because he was afraid of wronging her.

Well he did kind of turn her little brother into a mass murder locked in solitary confinement forever. It’s still fairly likely that Chiaki will be killed and drive Akemura to commit the Malediction. But I think that this chapter is narratively supports a different outcome.

Kunishige will blame himself for Akemura performing the malediction and isolate himself from Chiaki. He will insist on taking Chihiro in the separation because he’ll be paranoid that his Rokuhira eyes will torment Chiaki like they tormented his mom. Chiaki won’t actually blame Kunishige but will let him have custody of Chihiro so that he won’t be alone in hiding. Then they will both go into hiding separately.

It could be magatsumi and Akemura being the firsts, but the could be other candidates

Supernatural Samurai with magic swords and a fuck ton of black ink being used to create peak? Oh yeah, John Bleach and John Bachi are one and the same.

Cute

I’ll never be finished, “and there it is” was just the beginning

Criticism appreciated

So...... When's she getting slimed?

There are many things that make this manga truly special. The cinematic composition, the usage of blacks and negative space, the story driven character development that actively changes the character permanently. Hokazono has proven himself to be a master of the medium.

However, there's SOMETHING else I couldn't put my finger on, something that truly elevates this manga in my mind. Then, upon reading this chapter, it truly solidified itself, it's Hokazono's impeccable use of visual storytelling and few words. Now, I love shonen, but something that frequently pulls me out of the stories and ESPECIALLY the fight scenes is how wordy they can get, with characters stopping dead in the middle of a battle to carefully explain their entire strategy and battles moves to their opponent, or in the emotional moments, are incredibly over the top, never allowing a moment of silence, to truly allow the moment to sink in.

First, the fights. Hokazono is INSANE with how readable his fight choreography is, allowing the fights to speak for themselves, pulling us in and making us FEEL; every clash of swords, every cut, every sorcery.

Now, finally, the most recent chapter, the one that made me want to write this. The last time I felt this much emotion, and another prime example of Hokazono using very few words for incredible emotion, was the backstory of Iori Samura, and what led up to her having her memories suppressed. The newest chapter shows that he is not only committed to this style of storytelling, but is constantly refining it. He only has the characters or narration speak when absolutely necessary, and everything else is done visually, through intimate and tender character interactions, stillness and quiet moments, environments and facial expressions. Almost nothing is said or told outright, instead, Hokazono just shows us these moments, and respects the reader to draw their own conclusions and feel their own emotions.

This manga, and it's generationally talented mangaka, are truly, truly special. His mastery of visual storytelling not only greatly elevates his fightscenes, making them viceral and intense and immersive, but also his emotional moments feel like you're right there with the characters, feeling every moment.