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Soul Eater Chapter 88: Herman Melville, eat your heart out.
Yeah yeah yeah I know that the front of the chapter says that it's CHAPTER 87. But since we had CHAPTER 87 last month, I'm just going to go ahead and assume that that was a typo and that Ohkubo's editor was asleep at the wheel again.
So we open in SEA SHEPHERD VILLAGE. It took me a while to figure out that シシェパ was a pun on シ-シェパ which also happens to be the way that the Japanese write "Sea Shepherd" which is the name of the anti-whaling ship on that godawful Whale Wars show. But there you have it. One panel into the new chapter and Ohkubo has already punned on a subject so relentlessly awful - dead whales killed for no justifiable reason and in the cruelest manner possible on one side, and one of the most unethical and exploitative reality television shows centered around a group of the most gratingly wrongheaded "activists" ever broadcast on US television on the other side - and well goddamn there goes my good mood for the evening.
I could really use a funny dick joke to lighten the mood right now. Black Star, are you in this chapter?
(*turns page*) Ah, there you are.
Okay, moving on.
Soul is looking up at the sky. "D'you think we still got some time before it shows up?"
"I think it should be here any minute now," Maka says.
And look, here's a dude in a track suit. "Hey, you Shibusen kids. Uh, what is this?" He's standing next to a tall, thin black thing that disappears into the sky. "It's so long... Does this have something to do with the beast you're hunting?"
"Oh yeah," Maka says. "That's..."
That's Black Star's scarf, that's what that is. And by Black Star's scarf, what I really mean is Tsubaki.
"Tsubaki..." Black Star says. "So does this mean that I can fly like those other guys now?"
"No... It's not really flying, more like... Growing really tall?"
"AAAAAAH WHO CARES ABOUT STUPID LITTLE DETAILS LIKE THAT!!" Black Star declares. "I HAVE SURPASSED THE EARTH AND NOW THE SKY ITSELF IS MINE!!!"
"But he's still as full of bullshit as ever..." Soul observes from down below.
Suddenly, peg-leg! "Sorry t'keep ya waitin'."
Helpful labels! This is the YOUNG HUNTER OF THE VILLAGE ("hunter" also being written with the kanji for "meister") named HEMING, in an obvious reference to HEMINGWAY. And his partner is THE DEMON HARPOON GUN, AHAB.
"We were doin' the purification ritual an' we ran late," Heming explains.
"Sorry that this guy's still so young an' inexperienced that we need to ask you kids for help," Ahab says.
"I can do this myself," Heming insists.
"Every year my meister and I have one chance to go after this prey..." Ahab goes on. "But my meister got sick and can't make it this year."
"Since we can fly," Maka says, "we can herd it toward you guys from the sky."
"OH!" Ahab exclaims, apparently quite impressed with this idea. "If we could bring down even one of the beasts, this village would be wealthy for an entire year."
"We're counting on you!" Heming says.
A transition panel later, Maka and Soul take to the air. "Tsubaki-chan! Black Star!"
"So it's time?" Black Star says.
"Uh-huh. Get ready."
"So our only job today is to herd somebody else's game?" Black Star comments. "What a dumb mission."
"But it's a mission that doubles as flight training for us at the same time," Maka says. "And anyway, Black Star, your method of flying is kind of, uh, well it looks a little unstable!!"
"That's right!" Tsubaki chimes in. "Black Star is very unstable."
"Aw, don't say that," Black Star says. "I know the truth is that you all love me."
Maka ellipses.
"What's wrong, Maka?" Soul asks.
"Somehow... this sky... is starting to look kind of ominous..."
Down below, Ahab looks up. "That little city girl sure is cute," he says.
"Pervy old man," Heming says. "Shut your mouth, it's time for us to go." He looks up at the sky. "If we could fly, though, then hunting sure would be a piece of cake."
"Lazy young brat," Ahab says. "Shut your mouth, it's time for us to go."
Ahab transforms, and Heming dons his drivin' goggles, waving to a gathered crowd. "GOOD LUCK!" The crowd shouts. "We're counting on you!"
"Let's go, old man."
Aaaaand they're off.
Meanwhile, in the sky, it is getting very cloudy! "This means that the beast is getting closer, right?" Soul asks.
"...Yeah. I think so," Maka says.
"The clouds are gettin' thicker," Heming observes.
"It's coming. This is how it conceals its movements."
Up in the sky, suddenly, a GIANT SOUND EFFECT!
BOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Eh, close enough.
"Wah!" Maka gasps.
"Muu... I feel like I'm going to be sucked in." Black Star says.
"HERE IT COMES---!!" Ahab shouts.
And there it is.
"Oi oi, it's even bigger than I thought it was gonna be..." Black Star admits.
"So this is a Sky Whale?!" Maka gasps.
"To herd something this big close enough to the ground so that they can shoot it easily..." Soul says. "How are we supposed to do that...?"
"I dunno, but for now, we gotta follow it!" Maka says.
As Maka and Black Star fly after the whale, Black Star shouts, "So why aren't we attacking this thing yet?"
"Didn't you listen to the briefing? Hunting this thing is that village's tradition, so we're not actually allowed to lay a hand on it!"
Down below: "It's no use!" Heming declares. "The clouds are too thick, I can't see a thing!"
"Don't chase it with your eyes!" Ahab admonishes him. "Just feel it!"
Use the force, Heming!
Meanwhile, up in the sky, the Sky Whale sure as hell is expelling something from its thermal exhaust port.
"It sure can fly fast, for something so big," Black Star observes. "But I guess that's no surprise, I mean, I'm a BIG guy who can fly fast too."
"The Sky Whale..." Tsubaki says, donning the Captain Exposition Hat. "Normally they fly at much higher altitudes. But one time each year, during the ebb tide, they come down closer to the ground like this."
"Hey, stuff's comin' out of its spout!" Black Star says.
"!" Maka gasps. "This is... Insanity..." She closes her eyes. "I knew it... Even though I couldn't feel it when we were down on the ground... In the higher altitudes there's a strong concentration of insanity... What in the world does it mean?"
MEANWHILE, ON THE LOST ISLAND.
"Where are you taking me?" Kid demands to know. "I only came here to ask you the whereabouts of the kishin." Well that definitely wasn't the story last chapter, but whatever! "You know where the kishin is, don't you?"
"I do not know... No... It would be more correct to say that I am in a state of not-knowing that."
Oh my god. Kid's face.
(And yes, "in a state of not-knowing that" is deliberately as grammatically fucked up as the phrase that Eibon used in Japanese, wakaranaideiru.)
"That is the nature of the Great Old Ones," Eibon goes on. "Even the idiot one understands that much..."
With Excalibur in the word bubble. Of course.
Kid, however, will have none of this bullshit. "Uh-huh, well Shibusen doesn't have time for this idiocy. Is there absolutely no way that you can know?"
Eibon stops walking. "Be not impatient..." he says. "The answer has already come to you."
"?! What are you saying...?"
"One of your beloved friends will know." Eibon looks up at the sky. "...The collapse has begun again." He goes on. "The world inside of this magnetic field is endlessly repeating the timespan of exactly one hour, for all eternity. Look at this flower."
The flower vanishes, then re-appears.
"Reset," Eibon says. The he turns toward Kid. "This flower, and this entire world, repeat time endlessly without even a single second going amiss. As someone who values order, do not you find this pleasant?"
"But this is a world that produces nothing new," Kid answers. "It's the same as 'nothingness.' That's what I discovered inside the Book of Eibon. The ultimate 'order' exists only when there is irregularity and unbalance in the world."
"I see," Eibon says. "So then you already know the answer as to whether the shinigami are the source of insanity in the world. You are no longer a mere fragment, but have already become a splendid shinigami in your own right."
So Kid became a "splendid shinigami" by being molested by Grandpa Goo Monster's tentacles and then being punched in the face repeatedly by Black Star until he magically realized some important shit. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!!
Hey, it's not like all of the other main characters in this manga reached their important development milestones by, like, facing dangerous conflicts and overcoming obstacles with their own strength, or anything. Yes they had help and encouragement from others, but ultimately Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, and Black Star did that whole "character development" thing by actually doing things instead of, you know, having things done to them. Which is as it should be. Because passive character development? This thing that Ohkubo is trying to make us swallow actually happened to Kid? Is not only enormously unsatisfying from a basic storytelling standpoint, it's just plain stupid.
And anyway, regarding the answer to the question as to whether Big Daddy is the source of the all of the insanity in the world or not: The answer is obviously YES, as ontological pluralism is a pretty basic concept that's fundamental to a lot of the world's religions, and we are all (your intrepid recapper included) incredibly stupid for not having seen that coming a mile away when it was set up in the previous chapter.
Meanwhile, back in the sky somewhere else! "Maka!" Black Star shouts. "I dunno about this insanity stuff, but you should worry about it later! I'm gonna be honest, I don't really have anything to do on this mission except follow you and Soul around, so you guys better do something about that whale!"
"Okay. Got it," Maka says.
"Oh come on," Soul says. "I figured it out way back when we first heard about this mission."
"What, Soul?"
"Sound!!" Soul says, donning his Black Room suit.
"Sky Whales are sensitive to sound," Soul goes on. "So I can use sound to lead it down closer to the ground."
Little Oni grins.
"Here we go!!"
And oh man, Mr. Sky Whales does NOT like that.
One giant whale-burp later, Maka is about ready to be blown away. "It's sending a return soundwave at us!!"
"Oh, but I can keep doing this over and over again!" Soul says. And he does.
"What are they doing?" Black Star asks Tsubaki.
"They're fighting with soundwaves so gigantic that we can't even hear them," Tsubaki says.
Okaaaaay, physics people. I thought that the perception of sound depended on the frequency of a soundwave, not the size (wavelength)? But I could be wrong about that, and either way obviously Ohkubo doesn't care, so whatever.
Wait, why the hell am I nitpicking about this. This is a chapter about a guy who can transform into a gigantic wheeled harpoon gun asking a kid who can fly via scarf-power and a girl with a magical flying scythe who's also her kinda-sorta totally not boyfriend to help him hunt a gigantic flying sky-whale expells the essence of insanity itself from its spout. The difference between frequency versus wavelength is the LEAST unrealistc thing to be worrying about in this scenario.
Anyway, down below on the ground! "Why aren't they here yet?!" Heming says.
"Have faith in that girl and her friends," Ahab says. "I'm prepared to shoot at any moment."
And then, finally, Heming sees the shadow of the Sky Whale in the clouds. "IT'S HERE!!"
He takes aim with Ahab. "HERE WE GO!!"
"Bring it down with one shot!" Ahab says. "Straight through its heart! We're not going to make it suffer!"
"I got it," Heming says, winking at Ahab.
And then they shoot.
The shot blasts straight through the Sky Whale's stomach. Which I guess we're supposed to assume is where its heart is, so okay. Ahab's harpoon also, incidentally, severs Black Star's scarf.
"Huh?" Black Star says.
"GOT 'ER!!!" Heming shouts.
"Huuuuuuuuuuuuh?!" Black Star says as he falls.
"It's falling down!!" the townspeople declare as the Sky Whale does just that.
"Now the village will be rich for a whole year!!" Heming exclaims. Then he looks over and sees Black Star's feet sticking out of the ground. "Hm?"
"No. You won't be rich," Black Star says, pulling his head out of the ground. "Because. I. Am. Going. To. Destroy your ENTIRE FREAKIN' VILLAGE!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"
"Stop it, Black Star!" Tsubaki begs. "Maka-chan! Soul-kun! Somebody stop him!!"
But Maka and Soul aren't paying attention. Maka is busy staring at the ground and think-bubbling grimly. I felt it, up there in the sky. That feeling---... It was the kishin---...
BACK AT SHIBUSEN!
"That was an easy mission!" Black Star exclaims.
"Yeah, all you did was throw a temper tantrum all over that village," Soul says.
"We'll have to write a letter of apology..." Tsubaki says.
Suddenly, Marie! Looking very concerned. "Maka-chan, everyone..."
"Marie-sensei, what's wrong?"
"Stay calm and listen to me," Marie says.
And right then and there, we heard the news.
Maka clenches her fist and grits her teeth.
Crona had been added to Shinigami-sama's list, and the Spartoi had been ordered to execute hir.
And on that note, we are to be continued next month!
So, yeah. All that stuff that happened in Russia. I guess we've just given up on any hope of saving Fyodor and Tsar, then? Even though Maka said that they were "still alive" albeit in severely melted form. Which would technically be true for all of those people that Crona melted in that city in Ukraine, too. And now we're all okay with just... leaving them like that? And not caring about it anymore? I guess?
So Maka found out that Crona melted an entire city full of people in the Ukraine and we never even got to see, like, her reaction to that? At all?
You'd think we would have at least gotten a one-sentence explanation as to what Shibusen eventually decided to do with the black balls and the giant black dome, even if they couldn't actually save anybody inside of them. We readers don't need an actual resolution to this entire plot point, but Ohkubo should know that his audience would at least be wondering what happened immediately next after we last saw Maka and Soul in a decidedly non-resolutional scene two chapters ago.
In other words, when we last saw Maka, she had just failed to save two Shibusen agents from a horrible fate and had just found out that Crona had inflicted the same fate upon an entire city full of people. And now all of a sudden we're with Maka in a completely different storyline, without ever hearing nary a word as to what happened to the two Shibusen agents that she was unable to save, whether she tried to save them again or whether she gave up, how she reacted to the news about Crona, or how Shibusen even dealt with the unresolved issue of their two still-not-dead agents and the city full of melted-but-not-technically-dead people. All of which could have been addressed in a single panel of flashback or even a single think-bubble from Maka. The absence of this information is noticeable and distracting.
Which is a shame because I really enjoyed this chapter and it was hella fun (Kid's stupidly stupid two pages notwithstanding), although the sudden jump from Russia to here without any sort of even an attempt at addressing all of those dangling plot threads in Russia was very jarring.
But okay then.
So! A couple of other interesting Soul Eater tidbits! First of all, a delightfully badass Tsugumi is featured on the cover of this month's GanGan. Although the cover image isn't included in any of the raw scans that I've seen floating around the interbutts, you can still see it here for now, and a large textless version will be posted here on 7/14.
Also, this big exciting news in this month's GanGan is that Soul Eater manga volumes have sold over 10 million copies in Japan! Granted, that's nowhere near the sales number of Squeenix's bigger megahit series (Fullmetal Alchemist surpassed the 50 million mark over a year ago, for comparison's sake), but it's still extremely good by GanGan standards.
Soul Eater volume 20 and Soul Eater Not! volume 01 will be released together on September 22nd.
Um, I think that's it!
Well, I got to post a Youtube video of whale song and rant about ontological pluralism in this month's recap. I wonder what Ohkubo is going to have in store for me next month.
Edited 7/11: Fixed a few translation mistakes and added a bit more commentary at the end re: discussion in comments.
So we open in SEA SHEPHERD VILLAGE. It took me a while to figure out that シシェパ was a pun on シ-シェパ which also happens to be the way that the Japanese write "Sea Shepherd" which is the name of the anti-whaling ship on that godawful Whale Wars show. But there you have it. One panel into the new chapter and Ohkubo has already punned on a subject so relentlessly awful - dead whales killed for no justifiable reason and in the cruelest manner possible on one side, and one of the most unethical and exploitative reality television shows centered around a group of the most gratingly wrongheaded "activists" ever broadcast on US television on the other side - and well goddamn there goes my good mood for the evening.
I could really use a funny dick joke to lighten the mood right now. Black Star, are you in this chapter?
(*turns page*) Ah, there you are.
Okay, moving on.
Soul is looking up at the sky. "D'you think we still got some time before it shows up?"
"I think it should be here any minute now," Maka says.
And look, here's a dude in a track suit. "Hey, you Shibusen kids. Uh, what is this?" He's standing next to a tall, thin black thing that disappears into the sky. "It's so long... Does this have something to do with the beast you're hunting?"
"Oh yeah," Maka says. "That's..."
That's Black Star's scarf, that's what that is. And by Black Star's scarf, what I really mean is Tsubaki.
"Tsubaki..." Black Star says. "So does this mean that I can fly like those other guys now?"
"No... It's not really flying, more like... Growing really tall?"
"AAAAAAH WHO CARES ABOUT STUPID LITTLE DETAILS LIKE THAT!!" Black Star declares. "I HAVE SURPASSED THE EARTH AND NOW THE SKY ITSELF IS MINE!!!"
"But he's still as full of bullshit as ever..." Soul observes from down below.
Suddenly, peg-leg! "Sorry t'keep ya waitin'."
Helpful labels! This is the YOUNG HUNTER OF THE VILLAGE ("hunter" also being written with the kanji for "meister") named HEMING, in an obvious reference to HEMINGWAY. And his partner is THE DEMON HARPOON GUN, AHAB.
"We were doin' the purification ritual an' we ran late," Heming explains.
"Sorry that this guy's still so young an' inexperienced that we need to ask you kids for help," Ahab says.
"I can do this myself," Heming insists.
"Every year my meister and I have one chance to go after this prey..." Ahab goes on. "But my meister got sick and can't make it this year."
"Since we can fly," Maka says, "we can herd it toward you guys from the sky."
"OH!" Ahab exclaims, apparently quite impressed with this idea. "If we could bring down even one of the beasts, this village would be wealthy for an entire year."
"We're counting on you!" Heming says.
A transition panel later, Maka and Soul take to the air. "Tsubaki-chan! Black Star!"
"So it's time?" Black Star says.
"Uh-huh. Get ready."
"So our only job today is to herd somebody else's game?" Black Star comments. "What a dumb mission."
"But it's a mission that doubles as flight training for us at the same time," Maka says. "And anyway, Black Star, your method of flying is kind of, uh, well it looks a little unstable!!"
"That's right!" Tsubaki chimes in. "Black Star is very unstable."
"Aw, don't say that," Black Star says. "I know the truth is that you all love me."
Maka ellipses.
"What's wrong, Maka?" Soul asks.
"Somehow... this sky... is starting to look kind of ominous..."
Down below, Ahab looks up. "That little city girl sure is cute," he says.
"Pervy old man," Heming says. "Shut your mouth, it's time for us to go." He looks up at the sky. "If we could fly, though, then hunting sure would be a piece of cake."
"Lazy young brat," Ahab says. "Shut your mouth, it's time for us to go."
Ahab transforms, and Heming dons his drivin' goggles, waving to a gathered crowd. "GOOD LUCK!" The crowd shouts. "We're counting on you!"
"Let's go, old man."
Aaaaand they're off.
Meanwhile, in the sky, it is getting very cloudy! "This means that the beast is getting closer, right?" Soul asks.
"...Yeah. I think so," Maka says.
"The clouds are gettin' thicker," Heming observes.
"It's coming. This is how it conceals its movements."
Up in the sky, suddenly, a GIANT SOUND EFFECT!
BOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Eh, close enough.
"Wah!" Maka gasps.
"Muu... I feel like I'm going to be sucked in." Black Star says.
"HERE IT COMES---!!" Ahab shouts.
And there it is.
"Oi oi, it's even bigger than I thought it was gonna be..." Black Star admits.
"So this is a Sky Whale?!" Maka gasps.
"To herd something this big close enough to the ground so that they can shoot it easily..." Soul says. "How are we supposed to do that...?"
"I dunno, but for now, we gotta follow it!" Maka says.
As Maka and Black Star fly after the whale, Black Star shouts, "So why aren't we attacking this thing yet?"
"Didn't you listen to the briefing? Hunting this thing is that village's tradition, so we're not actually allowed to lay a hand on it!"
Down below: "It's no use!" Heming declares. "The clouds are too thick, I can't see a thing!"
"Don't chase it with your eyes!" Ahab admonishes him. "Just feel it!"
Meanwhile, up in the sky, the Sky Whale sure as hell is expelling something from its thermal exhaust port.
"It sure can fly fast, for something so big," Black Star observes. "But I guess that's no surprise, I mean, I'm a BIG guy who can fly fast too."
"The Sky Whale..." Tsubaki says, donning the Captain Exposition Hat. "Normally they fly at much higher altitudes. But one time each year, during the ebb tide, they come down closer to the ground like this."
"Hey, stuff's comin' out of its spout!" Black Star says.
"!" Maka gasps. "This is... Insanity..." She closes her eyes. "I knew it... Even though I couldn't feel it when we were down on the ground... In the higher altitudes there's a strong concentration of insanity... What in the world does it mean?"
MEANWHILE, ON THE LOST ISLAND.
"Where are you taking me?" Kid demands to know. "I only came here to ask you the whereabouts of the kishin." Well that definitely wasn't the story last chapter, but whatever! "You know where the kishin is, don't you?"
"I do not know... No... It would be more correct to say that I am in a state of not-knowing that."
Oh my god. Kid's face.
(And yes, "in a state of not-knowing that" is deliberately as grammatically fucked up as the phrase that Eibon used in Japanese, wakaranaideiru.)
"That is the nature of the Great Old Ones," Eibon goes on. "Even the idiot one understands that much..."
With Excalibur in the word bubble. Of course.
Kid, however, will have none of this bullshit. "Uh-huh, well Shibusen doesn't have time for this idiocy. Is there absolutely no way that you can know?"
Eibon stops walking. "Be not impatient..." he says. "The answer has already come to you."
"?! What are you saying...?"
"One of your beloved friends will know." Eibon looks up at the sky. "...The collapse has begun again." He goes on. "The world inside of this magnetic field is endlessly repeating the timespan of exactly one hour, for all eternity. Look at this flower."
The flower vanishes, then re-appears.
"Reset," Eibon says. The he turns toward Kid. "This flower, and this entire world, repeat time endlessly without even a single second going amiss. As someone who values order, do not you find this pleasant?"
"But this is a world that produces nothing new," Kid answers. "It's the same as 'nothingness.' That's what I discovered inside the Book of Eibon. The ultimate 'order' exists only when there is irregularity and unbalance in the world."
"I see," Eibon says. "So then you already know the answer as to whether the shinigami are the source of insanity in the world. You are no longer a mere fragment, but have already become a splendid shinigami in your own right."
So Kid became a "splendid shinigami" by being molested by Grandpa Goo Monster's tentacles and then being punched in the face repeatedly by Black Star until he magically realized some important shit. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!!
Hey, it's not like all of the other main characters in this manga reached their important development milestones by, like, facing dangerous conflicts and overcoming obstacles with their own strength, or anything. Yes they had help and encouragement from others, but ultimately Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, and Black Star did that whole "character development" thing by actually doing things instead of, you know, having things done to them. Which is as it should be. Because passive character development? This thing that Ohkubo is trying to make us swallow actually happened to Kid? Is not only enormously unsatisfying from a basic storytelling standpoint, it's just plain stupid.
And anyway, regarding the answer to the question as to whether Big Daddy is the source of the all of the insanity in the world or not: The answer is obviously YES, as ontological pluralism is a pretty basic concept that's fundamental to a lot of the world's religions, and we are all (your intrepid recapper included) incredibly stupid for not having seen that coming a mile away when it was set up in the previous chapter.
Meanwhile, back in the sky somewhere else! "Maka!" Black Star shouts. "I dunno about this insanity stuff, but you should worry about it later! I'm gonna be honest, I don't really have anything to do on this mission except follow you and Soul around, so you guys better do something about that whale!"
"Okay. Got it," Maka says.
"Oh come on," Soul says. "I figured it out way back when we first heard about this mission."
"What, Soul?"
"Sound!!" Soul says, donning his Black Room suit.
"Sky Whales are sensitive to sound," Soul goes on. "So I can use sound to lead it down closer to the ground."
Little Oni grins.
"Here we go!!"
And oh man, Mr. Sky Whales does NOT like that.
One giant whale-burp later, Maka is about ready to be blown away. "It's sending a return soundwave at us!!"
"Oh, but I can keep doing this over and over again!" Soul says. And he does.
"What are they doing?" Black Star asks Tsubaki.
"They're fighting with soundwaves so gigantic that we can't even hear them," Tsubaki says.
Okaaaaay, physics people. I thought that the perception of sound depended on the frequency of a soundwave, not the size (wavelength)? But I could be wrong about that, and either way obviously Ohkubo doesn't care, so whatever.
Wait, why the hell am I nitpicking about this. This is a chapter about a guy who can transform into a gigantic wheeled harpoon gun asking a kid who can fly via scarf-power and a girl with a magical flying scythe who's also her kinda-sorta totally not boyfriend to help him hunt a gigantic flying sky-whale expells the essence of insanity itself from its spout. The difference between frequency versus wavelength is the LEAST unrealistc thing to be worrying about in this scenario.
Anyway, down below on the ground! "Why aren't they here yet?!" Heming says.
"Have faith in that girl and her friends," Ahab says. "I'm prepared to shoot at any moment."
And then, finally, Heming sees the shadow of the Sky Whale in the clouds. "IT'S HERE!!"
He takes aim with Ahab. "HERE WE GO!!"
"Bring it down with one shot!" Ahab says. "Straight through its heart! We're not going to make it suffer!"
"I got it," Heming says, winking at Ahab.
And then they shoot.
The shot blasts straight through the Sky Whale's stomach. Which I guess we're supposed to assume is where its heart is, so okay. Ahab's harpoon also, incidentally, severs Black Star's scarf.
"Huh?" Black Star says.
"GOT 'ER!!!" Heming shouts.
"Huuuuuuuuuuuuh?!" Black Star says as he falls.
"It's falling down!!" the townspeople declare as the Sky Whale does just that.
"Now the village will be rich for a whole year!!" Heming exclaims. Then he looks over and sees Black Star's feet sticking out of the ground. "Hm?"
"No. You won't be rich," Black Star says, pulling his head out of the ground. "Because. I. Am. Going. To. Destroy your ENTIRE FREAKIN' VILLAGE!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"
"Stop it, Black Star!" Tsubaki begs. "Maka-chan! Soul-kun! Somebody stop him!!"
But Maka and Soul aren't paying attention. Maka is busy staring at the ground and think-bubbling grimly. I felt it, up there in the sky. That feeling---... It was the kishin---...
BACK AT SHIBUSEN!
"That was an easy mission!" Black Star exclaims.
"Yeah, all you did was throw a temper tantrum all over that village," Soul says.
"We'll have to write a letter of apology..." Tsubaki says.
Suddenly, Marie! Looking very concerned. "Maka-chan, everyone..."
"Marie-sensei, what's wrong?"
"Stay calm and listen to me," Marie says.
And right then and there, we heard the news.
Maka clenches her fist and grits her teeth.
Crona had been added to Shinigami-sama's list, and the Spartoi had been ordered to execute hir.
And on that note, we are to be continued next month!
So, yeah. All that stuff that happened in Russia. I guess we've just given up on any hope of saving Fyodor and Tsar, then? Even though Maka said that they were "still alive" albeit in severely melted form. Which would technically be true for all of those people that Crona melted in that city in Ukraine, too. And now we're all okay with just... leaving them like that? And not caring about it anymore? I guess?
So Maka found out that Crona melted an entire city full of people in the Ukraine and we never even got to see, like, her reaction to that? At all?
You'd think we would have at least gotten a one-sentence explanation as to what Shibusen eventually decided to do with the black balls and the giant black dome, even if they couldn't actually save anybody inside of them. We readers don't need an actual resolution to this entire plot point, but Ohkubo should know that his audience would at least be wondering what happened immediately next after we last saw Maka and Soul in a decidedly non-resolutional scene two chapters ago.
In other words, when we last saw Maka, she had just failed to save two Shibusen agents from a horrible fate and had just found out that Crona had inflicted the same fate upon an entire city full of people. And now all of a sudden we're with Maka in a completely different storyline, without ever hearing nary a word as to what happened to the two Shibusen agents that she was unable to save, whether she tried to save them again or whether she gave up, how she reacted to the news about Crona, or how Shibusen even dealt with the unresolved issue of their two still-not-dead agents and the city full of melted-but-not-technically-dead people. All of which could have been addressed in a single panel of flashback or even a single think-bubble from Maka. The absence of this information is noticeable and distracting.
Which is a shame because I really enjoyed this chapter and it was hella fun (Kid's stupidly stupid two pages notwithstanding), although the sudden jump from Russia to here without any sort of even an attempt at addressing all of those dangling plot threads in Russia was very jarring.
But okay then.
So! A couple of other interesting Soul Eater tidbits! First of all, a delightfully badass Tsugumi is featured on the cover of this month's GanGan. Although the cover image isn't included in any of the raw scans that I've seen floating around the interbutts, you can still see it here for now, and a large textless version will be posted here on 7/14.
Also, this big exciting news in this month's GanGan is that Soul Eater manga volumes have sold over 10 million copies in Japan! Granted, that's nowhere near the sales number of Squeenix's bigger megahit series (Fullmetal Alchemist surpassed the 50 million mark over a year ago, for comparison's sake), but it's still extremely good by GanGan standards.
Soul Eater volume 20 and Soul Eater Not! volume 01 will be released together on September 22nd.
Um, I think that's it!
Well, I got to post a Youtube video of whale song and rant about ontological pluralism in this month's recap. I wonder what Ohkubo is going to have in store for me next month.
Edited 7/11: Fixed a few translation mistakes and added a bit more commentary at the end re: discussion in comments.
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