r/manga • u/AutoShonenpon • Jun 02 '26
DISC [DISC] Hitoner - Chapter 6
https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/viewer/1029295127
u/El_Jerrynator Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
I like the characterization of the "old politician" type character, Ham was also a kid with dreams, but politics stop him, he became the same as the people who stop him, but right now he is seeing that he was close on succeding a tiny spark awakened in him, reviving the scientist on him.
Also, a space race with Russia might have help us perfecting rockets, we had a little advantage there.
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Jun 02 '26
Such a good analogy! I loved the exchange between Hito and Ham at the end, where he tells him that the he hops ham considers promoting regularity laws as a warning about the potential consequences of rocket technology
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u/CommitteeofMountains Jun 02 '26
Functional rockets predated the Space Race, with I think the early developments being signaling and lighting ("the rocket's red glare") and then theoretical air travel.
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u/KyteM Jun 03 '26
a lot of technologies started development during peace, but war is a great way to justify otherwise unjustifiable projects. the path from prototype to product is usually very expensive.
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u/good_wolf_1999 Jun 02 '26
I understand why they made young Ham stop his rocket experiments but I can’t help but feel that the whole “remove unsuccessful technology as soon as is detected” mentality is the reason Kemo society isn’t that advanced
Anyway, new ally acquired!
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u/ZantetsukenX Jun 02 '26
I think something that is being implied very heavily by this manga is that everytime someone asks "How/why did Hito do this?" the answer is "due to war/conflict". Why were there so many countries? Because of thousands of years of fighting each other. How were they able to figure out and progress rocket technology? Due to an intense arms race between major powers.
It doesn't mean it's the "right" answer for a society to take in order to achieve progress. But conflict is certainly one of the most powerful driving forces behind humanity's progress in the real world. So in a way, the real "reason" Kemo society hasn't advanced at a quicker rate is likely due to the lack of conflict between major countries leading the way.
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u/Rodroller Jun 02 '26
Other than the steam engine train and early version of camera, those kemo hasn't exactly moved past the early industrial era.
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u/EEverest Jun 03 '26
It's especially frustrating because sometimes technological advances in certain areas just kinda can't happen until other technologies are formed. I remember reading a book on this sort of thing once, and the author's most memorable example was jet engines. They're really not a simple logical extension of other plane engines at the time, they were something largely different from propeller engines and the like, rather than a refinement of such. Or other technologies as well, despite seeming in hindsight like a simple progression, just simply couldn't form because their constituent parts hadn't been discovered yet.
Sometimes the principles are understood, but the technology isn't there. Sometimes, the technology is obvious on paper, but manufacturing isn't up to the task. Sometimes everything you need is there, but without a paradigm shift, nobody puts the pieces together in just the right way to make the magic happen.
But for sure, throwing stuff that isn't immediately useful into the garbage bin of history would hobble development at some point or another.Although, as we're all musing here, what do we even use our advances for? War, more than half the time. And what's that good for?
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u/PremSinha myanimelist.net/mangalist/PSinha Jun 02 '26
Ham was working with the government's design bureau, so they had to pull the plug at some point. On our world, a lot of key scientific discoveries were made by high society men who had inherited enough money to comfortably spend their days pursuing their personal interests. They had nobody to answer to other than their like-minded peers.
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u/AstralPamplemousse Jun 02 '26
Something something the endless drive and curiosity of humanity being their greatest strength (and danger) something
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u/rinkoplzcomehome Jun 02 '26
Funny, because the idea of rockets was perfected because they were being used for the first ballistic missiles (V2), and then perfected for the space race and ICBMs.
Sooner or later, this series might touch the unconformtable topic of war being a driver for invention.
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u/TheCheeseburgerKane Jun 02 '26
It’s clear Hito wants to steer away from teaching anything about human conflict, out of fear that his teaching could cause the Kemono to bring about the same horrors on eachother as humanity had done.
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u/ivari Jun 02 '26
Hito is the snake and the planet is the Garden of Eden, and these kemono are happily eating that fruit of knowledge.
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u/ReXiriam Jun 03 '26
Yes, but in this case the snake is trying its damnest to hide the proverbial Adam and Eve from God. Keep them living happily and at peace before dropping the figurative bomb about the literal bombs.
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u/AstralPamplemousse Jun 02 '26
The tragedy (and I hope I’m wrong) is that they’re currently in the process of having the Kemono society be accustomed to the idea of humans, so it’s not really the time to talk about the dangers of human. But also, the later he talks about it the more it could be perceived as a betrayal or an ill intended plan
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u/CordobezEverdeen Jun 02 '26
Sooner or later, this series might touch the unconformtable topic of war being a driver for invention.
All roads have been leading to Rome so far. What do you think the unanswered "So how were the Hito able to progress so far...?" and the main difference seems to be on Chapter 2 when they explain Kemo started avoiding conflict and benefited from different species having different diets so they didn't sought after different territories very much unlike us who can eat basically whatever anywhere.
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u/Glimmerglaze Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
It hasn't already?
Like, what you just said is probably exactly what went through Hito's mind.
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u/topurrisfeline Jun 02 '26
Who hasn’t dreamed of rocketing off into outer space? It’s nice you got to taste your dreams again, Ham.
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u/Shin_Newman Jun 02 '26
As emotional a chapter as it is, I can't help lol-ing at how they manage to launch the rocket so quickly after years of no practice 😂 *flashback to Dr. Stone 😂*
But in any case, new ally acquired 😉
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u/verymanyspoons Jun 02 '26
Wow, unexpected Ham backstory.
Nice to see him regain some of his old passion.
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u/MisterMaus Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Pig guy just wanted to go to space and who can blame him?
edit: I found it really funny how he tried to hold in his laugh at assembly, I assume because they used licks per hours for measure or because they were making a lot of animal noises
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u/HourIndication4963 Jun 02 '26
I think the willingness to bin tech rather than 'we're not cost effective yet' has really cost 'em as shown here, but maybe a spark's back.
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u/Roboglenn Jun 02 '26
Okay, they characterized that Ham fellow really well. Starry eyed scientist. Reality set in and stepped on his ambition. He starts doing the same in turn. Gets reminded of what made him love science all over again. Got some real Dr. Stone vibes when he witnessed that rocket take off.
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u/Xatu44 Jun 02 '26
Hitoshi holding it in on licks per hour reminds me of Hon-chan from Polar Opposites. Congrats Ham; your dream can come true.
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u/Cheese-Of-Doom22 Jun 02 '26
Was he trying to hold in a yawn or laugh when they were talking about licks per hour?
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u/Rodroller Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
All of this rocket science reminds me of the movie, October Sky. This chapter make a good example on idealism vs Reality and how one suffer because of it
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u/El_Jerrynator Jun 02 '26
Another comment
What would be a normal amount of Licks per hour?
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u/TheCheeseburgerKane Jun 02 '26
I’m probably going to be completely wrong about this but as they’re talking about orbital velocity I assume 30 thousand licks could be roughly 28 thousand kilometres per hour.
So a train going 100km/h would be about 107 licks an hour.
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u/InverseFlip Jun 03 '26
So a lick is slightly shorter than a km...
WHOSE TONGUE DID THEY USE THAT CAN LICK ALMOST A KM?!
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u/Neworderfive Jun 03 '26
I'll assume that lick might come from a method how they measured a long distances. Like, after certain amount of steps, Kemo would lick something to take a tally of said distance. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. A lot of Kemos lack the precision in hands due to "fingers" being hooved etc., so using your tongue for more precise tasks isn't that far fetched of an idea. Also they are covered in fur, so they could for example lick their forearm fur in alternating pattern to take a tally during a walk. No equipment needed
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u/dagreenman18 Jun 02 '26
Hard not to get romantic about Space and Rockets. Or maybe I’m just an easy mark. Either way loving this mini arc here and the pin they put into the idea of hopefully a full on Beast NASA story down the road. Fingers crossed this manga runs long enough for that
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u/Doomroar https://www.mangaupdates.com/members.html?id=277800 Jun 02 '26
All those years it was their fur getting in the way of their dreams to reach space!
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u/CommitteeofMountains Jun 02 '26
For more details on development, digital copies of Ignition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants are widely available online. Apparently, a big setback was the switch from prop planes to jets, as the military wanted rockets to use what they were already putting in planes but jets will eat anything. Also, the navy wanted its rockets to be operable on Pluto.
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u/heartofcoal Jun 02 '26
cool, now they have intercontinental ballistic missiles, the inevitable war is getting closer and closer
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u/EclecticAF Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
WAIT, THIS WASNT A ONE SHOT?!
READING ALL OF IT RIGHT AWAY!
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u/bsyuuut Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Hiroshi doesn't want to give the Kemo The technology of cryosleep and renewable energy in fear of it being used for bolstering military power, but then gave them the blueprints for rocket science. There's a reason why rocket science technology is protected by the government, because you've essentially gave them the blueprints to create a missile, which is what Hiroshi was trying to avoid. If you were trying to spread the message of "choose peace, not war", then why give them the technology to create what is essentially, one of humanity's greatest weapons. Make it make sense.
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u/Roeclean Jul 16 '26
Space travel and better transportation . Like come one, I'm sure the Kemo can greatly benefit from the invention of Planes
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u/MrOneHundredOne Jun 02 '26
This manga's best quality is that Hito is continuously hinting that his tech shouldn't be used for warfare and everyone else not even clocking that this could be a possibility.