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Soul Eater Chapter 107: Are you being sarcastic, Asura? I can't even tell anymore.
So I know that this is two weeks late. I know. But this is one of those months where an AMAZINGLY INACCURATE scanslation was somehow available on the interbutts a full day before Gangan even hit newstands in Japan, and since heejung123 already posted a breakdown of all of the wrong lines in the scanslation (which was like, oh, 75% of the dialogue, including Big Daddy's big plot-relevant scene at the end of the chapter) I didn't feel like there was a whole lot of reason for me to rush this month's recap. Also I've been busy. Also there were like about two thousand more interesting things for me to blog about than Soul Eater this month. I mean I enjoyed this month's chapter but still.
So anywhoo, here we go!
We open this chapter with a large panel of Crona, who is still obviously still alive, because DUH. If you were one of the people panicking about Crona being dead last month, then congratulations, you fell for an obvious fake-out cliffhanger that really shouldn't have fooled anybody older than Soul Eater's target demographic of twelve-year-old kids. On the other hand, if you're feeling smug because you didn't fall for the fake-out cliffhanger... Congratulations, you are smarter than a manga written for twelve-year-old kids. Or rather, congratulations, you are reading a manga written for twelve-year-olds. At the end of the day I think we can all admit that this is a bit more shameful than falling for a fake-out cliffhanger is. (*hangs head in shame*)
But anyway back to Crona. You understood from the beginning, didn't you? Asura taunts Crona. Why you pursue me. Did you truly think that you could succeed it? My madness.
Meanwhile, Maka! "CRONA!!" Maka shouts. "Crona's soul wavelength disappeared... Is that the kishin?!"
"Crona's been taken over the kishin?!" Soul gasps.
So Maka decides that doing the usual Ohkubo thing and standing around for several more pages while gasping in shock and repeatedly stating the obvious would be a total waste of time, so she grabs Spirit and charges full speed toward Asura. "UAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
"Wait, Maka!!" Spirit shouts.
She doesn't wait. "AAAAAAAAAAA!!"
Yeah that doesn't work.
"That won't work!!" Spirit says.
"Why not!!" Maka snarls.
"We can't cut through that!!" Spirit says.
"!!" Maka goes flying.
"Maka!!" Black Star shouts. Oh my fucking god what is wrong with everyone in this panel. Holy shit guys are you okay?!?!
Apparently attracted by the sight of distorted anatomy, Asura emerges from his scarf-bubble.
"ASURA!!!" Black Star says. With three exclamation marks instead of the usual two. Because Asura.
"So you've come to eliminate me, servants of Shinigami..." And having said this one line, Asura is already retreating back behind his scarves.
"He really doesn't want to come out of there..." Soul observes.
Aaaaaaand Asura seals himself up again. "I'm scared...."
Meanwhile, flying skateboard!
"We made it..." Kid says.
"So this is our third time on the moon now..." Liz sighs. "It doesn't feel amazing anymore...."
"Tired of it!" Patti laughs. Except that she's quoting an old, tired Japanese internet meme that originated several years ago from a youtube upload of a commercial from 1975. Nice bit of meta-punning there, Ohkubo.
Meanwhile, Kid is distracted when his soul perception realizes the obvious for him. "This wavelength... It's the kishin... Down there!!"
Kid lands in the middle of another panel with some terribly weird anatomy going on. "Kid!!"
"Looks like I made it just in time..." Kid says.
"Shinigami's son, aren't you..." Asura says.
"Yes," Kid responds. "I've come to finish you in my father's place."
"Kishin Asura..." Spirit says as he shifts out of his weapon form. "Papa can't help you anymore," he tells Maka.
"Papa..."
"There's no way that Maka and Papa's soul resonance can inflict any damage upon the kishin... So long as there is 'order,' then 'madness' can never be eliminated..."
Wait Spirit what the fuck?
Yeah I get that insanity can never be completely eliminated because both order and insanity have to co-exist in order for the world to have meaning (i mean that's only the moral of this entire manga series that has been REPEATEDLY STATED WITH ALL OF THE SUBTLETY OF A SLEDGEHAMMER BLOW TO THE READERS' COLLECTIVE SKULLS since the very first chapter) but how in the flying fuck is that supposed to be an explanation for why you're suddenly not sharp enough in your weapon form to cut through Asura's bullshit?!
"Leave this moon..." Asura says.
And then Spirit's all like, hell no, no way am I going anywhere, can't you see I'm in the middle of a big exposition-filled speech here? "A parent and child share the same soul wavelength. The resonance between two of the same wavelength can never cut through the barrier made from the kishin's fear of others! But a resonance between two different people - a resonance that could overcome differences in gender, race, interests, or fundamental ways of thinking - that's what's needed to destroy the kishin!!"
Ooooooh, okay. That actually makes sense.
"Those who are too similar to each other can never create the ultimate rhythm," Soul agrees.
But then Asura's all like, enough of this exposition bullshit.
"PAPA!!" Maka shouts.
"No matter how many times your resonance breaks apart, you just have to pull yourselves back together!!" Spirit shouts at her. Gosh I wonder who/what he could be talking about. "Being able to do that is what's made Maka so much stronger!!"
"Right!" Maka says.
"Black Star," Tsubaki says. Goddamit this is her only line in the chapter.
"Papa and Mama couldn't make it together..." Spirit says. "But you've made a Death Scythe that surpasses Papa!!"
"Soul!!"
"Right. Let's show them."
Our souls---... Will reach Crona!
"I know you can do it," Spirit says.
Meanwhile, Asura is preparing to barf up a deadly weapon. "VAJRA!"
Aaaaaaaaaand five pages later, Our Heroes are still standing. Looking badass. With not a single smudge of damage on any of them.
"Oh... Some scary scary little ones have shown up... GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Kishin Asura!!!" Kid shouts as he charges forward. So I guess Asura's name always requires three exclamation marks. "You're nothing but a ghost made of madness!! As a shinigami, I'll give you your final requiem!!"
"Oh, how very brave of you! You're making me quiver all over!!" Asura snarks as he avoids all of Kid's attacks by doing just that.
Scarf-smack. Kid goes flying.
"Kid, you moron! Don't just run straight at him like that!!" Soul yells.
Meanwhile, our other favorite moron is about to also run straight at the kishin. "When your opponent's the kishin there's no need to hold back..." I'm not the kid that I was back then anymore... ZERO FORM INFINITE BLADES!!
Well, at least you made him bleed a little, Black Star. Assuming that said blood isn't an illusion.
"This power..." Asura gives Black Star a bloody grin. "It reminds me of that old 'Power' ruler. Scary... I'm scared... HIIIIIIIIIII!"
Suddenly, Asura in Black Star's face! "When I see you up close you're even scarier than before!"
Boom. Face melted off.
Magic piano. Face back on.
"Pull yourself together, Mr. Bushin," Maka says.
"It was a hallucination..."
"I get it..." Black Star says. "Without Maka and Soul around, this wouldn't be a fair fight... I guess that means I can still become stronger!!"
"Soul..." Maka says. "Can you hear Crona's rhythm?"
"Even with your soul perception abilities helping me, I still can't hear Crona..." Soul says. "And I don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep negating the kishin's madness, either..."
"See, you'll never be able to erase the kishin's madness with that tiny keyboard..." Little Oni says. Oh look, he's back! "You opponent has black blood. But you also have black blood. And there's a much bigger instrument waiting for you over here, all tuned up just for you..."
Meanwhile, said black-blooded opponent is just sort of standing there. Then he says, "No matter where I hide, it seems I'm always going to be found... So I will simply have to erase everything with my madness..."
And Kid is all like, yeah, this one time he kinda-sorta said the same thing, but it was stupid bullshit then and it's stupid bullshit now, so he's going to pull a Black Star and beat the shit out of the kishin until he gets over himself. I'll become a true shinigami and restore 'order' to this world!!
Crack.
"It appears as though we'll soon be witnessing the birth of a new shinigami," Excalibur observes. "So how do you feel about Kid obtaining the 'true power of a shinigami'?"
"That boy is so hopelessly neurotic sometimes. But what's more important is that his friends and all of humanity are what matter the most to him. That became clear during his negotiations with the witches, didn't it? With Kid as a shinigami, we're going to be okay!! He's already such a splendid shinigami, anyway."
"Well, he learned that all from you, didn't he," Excalibur says. "Hmm... Do even gods fear death?"
"Nope..." Shinigami-sama says. "I gave away all my fears long ago..."
And that's it until next month!
ETA: This month's Gangan Mobile bonus emoji!
So anywhoo, here we go!
We open this chapter with a large panel of Crona, who is still obviously still alive, because DUH. If you were one of the people panicking about Crona being dead last month, then congratulations, you fell for an obvious fake-out cliffhanger that really shouldn't have fooled anybody older than Soul Eater's target demographic of twelve-year-old kids. On the other hand, if you're feeling smug because you didn't fall for the fake-out cliffhanger... Congratulations, you are smarter than a manga written for twelve-year-old kids. Or rather, congratulations, you are reading a manga written for twelve-year-olds. At the end of the day I think we can all admit that this is a bit more shameful than falling for a fake-out cliffhanger is. (*hangs head in shame*)
But anyway back to Crona. You understood from the beginning, didn't you? Asura taunts Crona. Why you pursue me. Did you truly think that you could succeed it? My madness.
Meanwhile, Maka! "CRONA!!" Maka shouts. "Crona's soul wavelength disappeared... Is that the kishin?!"
"Crona's been taken over the kishin?!" Soul gasps.
So Maka decides that doing the usual Ohkubo thing and standing around for several more pages while gasping in shock and repeatedly stating the obvious would be a total waste of time, so she grabs Spirit and charges full speed toward Asura. "UAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
"Wait, Maka!!" Spirit shouts.
She doesn't wait. "AAAAAAAAAAA!!"
Yeah that doesn't work.
"That won't work!!" Spirit says.
"Why not!!" Maka snarls.
"We can't cut through that!!" Spirit says.
"!!" Maka goes flying.
"Maka!!" Black Star shouts. Oh my fucking god what is wrong with everyone in this panel. Holy shit guys are you okay?!?!
Apparently attracted by the sight of distorted anatomy, Asura emerges from his scarf-bubble.
"ASURA!!!" Black Star says. With three exclamation marks instead of the usual two. Because Asura.
"So you've come to eliminate me, servants of Shinigami..." And having said this one line, Asura is already retreating back behind his scarves.
"He really doesn't want to come out of there..." Soul observes.
Aaaaaaand Asura seals himself up again. "I'm scared...."
Meanwhile, flying skateboard!
"We made it..." Kid says.
"So this is our third time on the moon now..." Liz sighs. "It doesn't feel amazing anymore...."
"Tired of it!" Patti laughs. Except that she's quoting an old, tired Japanese internet meme that originated several years ago from a youtube upload of a commercial from 1975. Nice bit of meta-punning there, Ohkubo.
Meanwhile, Kid is distracted when his soul perception realizes the obvious for him. "This wavelength... It's the kishin... Down there!!"
Kid lands in the middle of another panel with some terribly weird anatomy going on. "Kid!!"
"Looks like I made it just in time..." Kid says.
"Shinigami's son, aren't you..." Asura says.
"Yes," Kid responds. "I've come to finish you in my father's place."
"Kishin Asura..." Spirit says as he shifts out of his weapon form. "Papa can't help you anymore," he tells Maka.
"Papa..."
"There's no way that Maka and Papa's soul resonance can inflict any damage upon the kishin... So long as there is 'order,' then 'madness' can never be eliminated..."
Wait Spirit what the fuck?
Yeah I get that insanity can never be completely eliminated because both order and insanity have to co-exist in order for the world to have meaning (i mean that's only the moral of this entire manga series that has been REPEATEDLY STATED WITH ALL OF THE SUBTLETY OF A SLEDGEHAMMER BLOW TO THE READERS' COLLECTIVE SKULLS since the very first chapter) but how in the flying fuck is that supposed to be an explanation for why you're suddenly not sharp enough in your weapon form to cut through Asura's bullshit?!
"Leave this moon..." Asura says.
And then Spirit's all like, hell no, no way am I going anywhere, can't you see I'm in the middle of a big exposition-filled speech here? "A parent and child share the same soul wavelength. The resonance between two of the same wavelength can never cut through the barrier made from the kishin's fear of others! But a resonance between two different people - a resonance that could overcome differences in gender, race, interests, or fundamental ways of thinking - that's what's needed to destroy the kishin!!"
Ooooooh, okay. That actually makes sense.
"Those who are too similar to each other can never create the ultimate rhythm," Soul agrees.
But then Asura's all like, enough of this exposition bullshit.
"PAPA!!" Maka shouts.
"No matter how many times your resonance breaks apart, you just have to pull yourselves back together!!" Spirit shouts at her. Gosh I wonder who/what he could be talking about. "Being able to do that is what's made Maka so much stronger!!"
"Right!" Maka says.
"Black Star," Tsubaki says. Goddamit this is her only line in the chapter.
"Papa and Mama couldn't make it together..." Spirit says. "But you've made a Death Scythe that surpasses Papa!!"
"Soul!!"
"Right. Let's show them."
Our souls---... Will reach Crona!
"I know you can do it," Spirit says.
Meanwhile, Asura is preparing to barf up a deadly weapon. "VAJRA!"
Aaaaaaaaaand five pages later, Our Heroes are still standing. Looking badass. With not a single smudge of damage on any of them.
"Oh... Some scary scary little ones have shown up... GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Kishin Asura!!!" Kid shouts as he charges forward. So I guess Asura's name always requires three exclamation marks. "You're nothing but a ghost made of madness!! As a shinigami, I'll give you your final requiem!!"
"Oh, how very brave of you! You're making me quiver all over!!" Asura snarks as he avoids all of Kid's attacks by doing just that.
Scarf-smack. Kid goes flying.
"Kid, you moron! Don't just run straight at him like that!!" Soul yells.
Meanwhile, our other favorite moron is about to also run straight at the kishin. "When your opponent's the kishin there's no need to hold back..." I'm not the kid that I was back then anymore... ZERO FORM INFINITE BLADES!!
Well, at least you made him bleed a little, Black Star. Assuming that said blood isn't an illusion.
"This power..." Asura gives Black Star a bloody grin. "It reminds me of that old 'Power' ruler. Scary... I'm scared... HIIIIIIIIIII!"
Suddenly, Asura in Black Star's face! "When I see you up close you're even scarier than before!"
Boom. Face melted off.
Magic piano. Face back on.
"Pull yourself together, Mr. Bushin," Maka says.
"It was a hallucination..."
"I get it..." Black Star says. "Without Maka and Soul around, this wouldn't be a fair fight... I guess that means I can still become stronger!!"
"Soul..." Maka says. "Can you hear Crona's rhythm?"
"Even with your soul perception abilities helping me, I still can't hear Crona..." Soul says. "And I don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep negating the kishin's madness, either..."
"See, you'll never be able to erase the kishin's madness with that tiny keyboard..." Little Oni says. Oh look, he's back! "You opponent has black blood. But you also have black blood. And there's a much bigger instrument waiting for you over here, all tuned up just for you..."
Meanwhile, said black-blooded opponent is just sort of standing there. Then he says, "No matter where I hide, it seems I'm always going to be found... So I will simply have to erase everything with my madness..."
And Kid is all like, yeah, this one time he kinda-sorta said the same thing, but it was stupid bullshit then and it's stupid bullshit now, so he's going to pull a Black Star and beat the shit out of the kishin until he gets over himself. I'll become a true shinigami and restore 'order' to this world!!
Crack.
"It appears as though we'll soon be witnessing the birth of a new shinigami," Excalibur observes. "So how do you feel about Kid obtaining the 'true power of a shinigami'?"
"That boy is so hopelessly neurotic sometimes. But what's more important is that his friends and all of humanity are what matter the most to him. That became clear during his negotiations with the witches, didn't it? With Kid as a shinigami, we're going to be okay!! He's already such a splendid shinigami, anyway."
"Well, he learned that all from you, didn't he," Excalibur says. "Hmm... Do even gods fear death?"
"Nope..." Shinigami-sama says. "I gave away all my fears long ago..."
And that's it until next month!
ETA: This month's Gangan Mobile bonus emoji!
Re: wooo recap
It's not that weird, actually. Sometimes we get early releases if the raws are leaked by Squeenix or book store employees. You'll find that happening a lot more frequently for popular series like Bleach and One Piece than for not-so-popular series like Soul Eater, though.
RE: Black Star. "Bushin" is just a fancy word for "warrior," it has nothing to do with becoming a god or immortal or anything. Having said that, though, I think it's been pretty clear for a long time now that Black Star is going to eventually become one of the next generation of Rulers along with Kid, and that he's going to personify Power. I don't know if that actually means that he's going to become immortal and/or a god, though. Granted, all of the examples of Rulers from Big Daddy's generation (that we know of) appear to be immortal in the sense that they have long life spans, but not in the sense that they're unkillable or anything (since Asura already killed three of them).