New Bugle Call chapter and no dump? I guess nobody cares anymore that it's quarterly (at least until the anime maybe).
>>292174296>that look in his eyesbrutal
>>292174296Aliens don't get it...
>>292174402poppy!!
I think I missed the last chapter or two
>>292174431Damn, I kinda ended up feeling bad for the dude.
>>292174431really puts the way he treated lucas into perspective. i love this manga
>>292174431The the publication schedule of this manga has been so inconsistent that neither know or care enough about what's going on here.It's a shame, I started it from chapter 1 and was following every new chapter thread but it fell off hard towards the final stretch.How many chapters are left before it ends.
>>292174431Thanks for the dump good chappy
>>292174168Toot wife, happy life
>>292174431Thanks. Can't say I feel that bad for him though.Still fucking druids.
>>292174458Yeah it's pretty brutal>Space aliens rape and replace your wife and you're forced to raise their bastard spawn over and over for millennia only to watch them dieas far as "this is why he's such a crazy asshole" reasons go, it's a pretty good oneFuckin' druids.
Yeah I'm not up to date
>>292175248The tragedy also lies in Akira's own personality: dude is such a fucking passive japanese introvert "going with the flow" that always ends up choosing the easy path staying alive and avoiding risks, nevermind leaving his dreams, losing his wife to aliens, having to raise artificial children and watch them die when they rebel
>>292174431Did we really need 70 pages of Akiraslop?
Damn the Empire is so fucking shit, how do you have an inmortal super soldier and a string of super babies that you educate to be loyal to your cause and still be losing the war the pope
>>292174084I wanted to talk about how hot adult Zoe is, but this chapter is just too depressing. This is worse than anything I imagined. Lucas needs to eradicate the druid species.
>>292174371So what I am getting from all of this is.>They can keep bringing Akira back as many times as they want>There's gonna by some even more powerful mystery nigga final boss before they get to the druidsThey're gonna milk this series like crazy and we'll be lucky to get a conclusion by the end of the decade.
>>292177014The tower has been fully drained. No idea if you can fill it up again by changing the core so at the very leasr he's gone till the epilogue. Better question is if his soul was preserved inside the tower or left to dissappear.
>>292177014Wasn't there a relatively recent announcement that we're in the wrap up phase of the story?
>>292174841>>292177014This manga is very close to the end, I'm pretty sure that Akira isn't coming back from this and the majority of the characters already had their arcs concluded. I think that the only think missing is the assault to the Empire's tower
I mean, it was a good chapter that finally shed some light on one of the main antagonist's whole deal, but I still would have preferred if the story actually moved forward. We were at such an important cliffhanger too.This doesn't bode well for Kayano's chances. I really want her to live, but I wouldn't be surprised if next chapter opens with Zoe's hand piercing her chest.
>>292177521see you in 4 months
>>292177573Y-you too
>>292177573Isn't it 3 months?
>>292174431I guess him being a shitty dad sorta makes sense since it's the 10000th iteration of a daughter that isn't even his, still i don't feel bad for this cunt
>>292177953You need time for the translators too
>>292174296Would. I have a weakness for psychopaths with tits.
>>292174296TOTAL DRUID DEATH
>>292174084I am the one that always dumps the chapters and I was outdoors with barely any phone reception. Sorry...
>>292174431>>292174431I don't like him and still think ill of him but I also feel bad about him. What a great chapter. I love how it shows that the ability to adapt to anything and be pragmatic, which is so useful in the modern world, ruined him.
>>292174841It's not inconsistent. Either due to sales or the anime or both it changed magazines to a quarterly one. So 4 chapters a year. It's very close to the end, too.
>>292174431Cucked so hard by druids and still trying his bestHe's still cool
>>292179078Its not about sales, Rise is just for people who can't handle the monthly schedule
Is Lucas going to listen to and play the song from that tape recorder and bring back Kaede?
>>292174283Stupid fucking druid. Humans don't have an instinct for domain expansion. Just look at neets, they're content in their tiny 100sq foot rooms.
>>292177014The mystery nigga is long dead. Only the Emperor and Akira with his weird tree body are immortal. We even see one of Kaede's children dying of old age.
>>292174353Yeah, you definitely could've gone full Rambo if you had put your mind to it. Well, it's not too late yet.
>>292178179It was a week. Sadly there have been people busy for the last two releases.
>>292176363I honestly loved the criticism of that mentality. I love how it shows that it's a desirable trait in today's society but it destroys him as a person.
>>292179137I assume it's tied to the anime announcement if that's the case.
>>292179201The Emperor can disable his body. Remember it's made of branches. It even shows up in this chapter. It wasn't going to work, but he still should have rebelled.
>>292179388Exactly. Spray that bitch with some high concentration vinegar and salt, that ought to do the trick
toot
Kaede is cute!
>>292180673If this manga was more popular the Emperor would have some interesting doujins.
>>292179201Did you not see >>292174371? He literally can't, though he can at minimum refuse to work at least. Though he probably cares too much about his "daughters" to do nothing.
>>292174226>>292174235that must've been painful
>Man who embodies the standard Japanese "don't rock the boat" mentality gets cucked by aliens and forced to raise his wife's kids for a hundreds of yearsWhat did the writers mean by this?
>>292180923He could if he had some conviction, that's the point. His body may not be his but his mind is still his own. He has the house stacked against him, but he's also immortal and the druid wants something from him (to take care of their children). He's not without cards to play.
Kill druids. Behead druids. Roundhouse kick a druid into the concrete. Slam dunk a druid baby into the trashcan. Crucify filthy druids. Defecate in a druids food. Launch druids into the sun. Stir fry druids in a wok. Toss druids into active volcanoes. Urinate into a druids gas tank. Judo throw druids into a wood chipper. Twist druids heads off. Report druids to the IRS. Karate chop druids in half. Curb stomp pregnant druids. Trap druids in quicksand. Crush druids in the trash compactor. Liquefy druids in a vat of acid. Eat druids. Dissect druids. Exterminate druids in the gas chamber. Stomp druids skulls with steel toed boots. Cremate druids in the oven. Lobotomize druids. Mandatory abortions for druids. Grind druid fetuses in the garbage disposal. Drown druids in fried chicken grease. Vaporize druids with a ray gun. Kick old druids down the stairs. Feed druids to alligators. Slice druids with a katana.
>>292181539You can contrast Akira with the Pope, who's been in a similar situation for the same amount of time but he's apparently spent it scheming against his bosses to the point that there's a real chance the Pope wins the entire war against both the Druids and the Futurists. The Pope's also doing it against human with some knowledge of the future, it doesn't take a lot to pull on over on the Druids.
>>292174296She always looks so smug when she thinks she is doing a good job.
This series depresses me greatly
>>292181706I'm still waiting for the Pope backstory once the Empire is dealt with. By far the most interesting character by virtue of being the only one who still cares after fighting so long.
Man...
>>292179148Yes they do. They do it in other ways, like gearing up in an MMO or conquering a new show to watch.
>>292174408Fuck, those eyes. Fuck fuck fuck
>>292182267>conquering MMOsShow me one neet who's ever had any feats in any one video game ever.
>>292182060The fact we got close to 70 pages for Akira's flashback alone and we still have the Pope, the Empire, sleeping adult Zoe, and a couple other plot threads to get through makes me think there's more chapters left than people expected after the manga moved to its current release schedule.
>>292182513Probably zezima in runescape back in the day? One of the most well known players at the time.
>>292174168>Wife loved playing trumpet and refused to conform to the timesWell that explains this page
>>292174124Kaede had that bugle spirit. doot doot~
>>292174223I feel uneasy every time I see a meteor in this manga. Good shit. >>292174226>>292174235>many babies with branches growing out of their headsKaede is tough.
>>292183646Realistically those babies would've torn up her insides and she would've died after giving birth to just unless they were all c-section.
Akira is just like me, bros.
>>292174296That Akira went along with this unsatisfying answer is worse.
>>292183351>Akira already in the late depressing stage of his conformist lifestyle helping alien druids or some shit>Lucas is full "piss off old man, when this dumb war ends i'll be a rockstar and make it big"
>>292174381>How many children do you have?>Plenty.Does the tree resurrect druid-human hybrids after one dies so there is always a Kayano, or are sapling candidate fetuses actually true druid-human hybrids that are treated as Kaede and Akira's children?
>>292174402>Poppy mentionedEMPLOYMENT SOON, POPPY
>>292174205What a great page.
>>292174431The time to betray is now, Akira. Thanks for posting, OP.
>>292174267Total fucking druid death. Holy shit.If this manga does not end in druid genocide, I will be mad.
>>292176912Despite their incredible power, the druid collective consciousness is incongruent to the human spirit. They haven't even successfully brainwashed everyone in their own territory in spite of a thousand years of trying.
>>292176912To be fair the pope has a gun
>>292183707Zoe's and Mirror Ramus's mothers were both fine long after birth though. Zoe's mom was a kept woman so her box couldn't have been torn up badly. I think some metaphysical druid shit is involved with rami birth.
>>292176912They fundamentally don't get humans, let alone warfare
>>292184553Anglos are the devil
>>292184796quiet Norse scum!
>>292183351This chapter also makes it sound like sapling candidates are all incarnations/reincarnations of the original Rami children so Lucas's looks and mentality aren't just coincidence.
Why couldn't they let her neetmax?
>>292185683Neetmaxing in this economy? No way, pull yourself up by the Winingans or take it up with the pope.
Wait are we the baddies?
>>292185683Bitch didn't even ask
>>292185683She's literally too dumb to neet >could have turned traitor and remained with the papists >become a hero of humanity and earn a neet life of living off the people's appreciation or>remain a oakcuck>be forced to play her assigned role until death, no chance to neetmax
>>292185948Man this manga takes a really dim view of the whole "just go along with the status quo" mindset
>>292174168He was right. Lucas really does look like her.
>>292174120This TN is about the same level as "keikaku"
Sometimes i think Japanese editors are genuinely trolls. Why the fuck they would turn a monthly series that is almost ending in a quarterly manga? It is painful to follow this now.
>>292174296What a page. Look at the horror in his eyes.>>292174431Thanks for posting.Gotta say, this is not what I expected coming out of the end of last chapter. What a fuckin bummer.
>>292186503Why would you even think the editors made this choice? Its clearly the mangaka who can't manage otherwise
>>292181751>Kayano?Comforted>The Pope?Defeated>Humanity?Subjugated>Akira?Raising my kidsMy job here is done!
>>292174355>two thousand years in the past>Year 45 of the Arborean CalendarIf my history is right, the British Isles should have still been covered in blue-painted barbarians, right? Impressive the druids could civilize them into Rome 2 in 45 years.
>>292177521Kayano No. 1XXX must survive to live out the will of her predecessors. >>292174367>I don't want to do this anymore.I wouldn't be surprised if next chapter opens with Zoe's hand grazing her skin.
>>292186655According to wikipedia, the Romans already conquered most of Britain around that time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_conquest_of_Britain
>>292184133The fuck is he gonna do when he's literally in pieces and the tower is out of energy to regenerate him?
>>292187744
>>292187744Tap into his dad power and pull a final move to spare Kayano.
>>292186042Explain
I have to say, I'm starting to dread reading the new chapters.
Damn, this chapter actually makes me feel bad about him dying now.
>>292188413I've been on edge ever since they entered endgame when they crossed the channel.
>>292188240Akira's whole arc kinda speaks for itself so I'll skip it but some other random examples ->Bald dupesThey spend the first half of the story just being faceless mooks for the heroes to kill, but the moment they stop just going with the flow and start wanting shit for themselves, the story shifts to portraying them as a bunch of plucky underdogs fighting to escape the fate that was laid out for them>PoppyMy read is her problem isn't that she's fighting to be a NEET, but that she's taking the path of least resistance to it which ironically takes her further away from her goal. If she'd been more proactive about say, reaching out to Lucas for example, he's absolutely gonna go out of his way to make sure she gets what she wants as long as he considers her a friend. Instead she just quietly goes along with the flow and then jumps at the first opportunity the Futurists/Druids dangle before her which is almost certainly not gonna let her live her NEET dreams. So now she's getting strung along by one faction and the other faction that might've helped her just want her dead.>LucasHe basically spends the whole story trying to break out of the status quo while everyone (Gerhart, the Pope, Akira, etc.) tries to talk him out of it and convince him to just go with the times. The whole story's just him getting pulled between accepting or rejecting the status quo before he decides the best way out is Total Futurist Death.Then you got stuff like that town that brainwashes kids who act kinda different, the Druids' whole deal of trying to make humanity act in harmony with one another, and all the fightfags who think they're just fitting in with the times getting btfo'd. I was mostly thinking about Poppy and Akira but I think it's a recurring theme throughout the story.
>>292174084Thank God I found this thread in time to discuss. The last cliffhanger better be worth the wait.
>>292188686I like your thesis. Any idea on how to connect it to the whole arbolist motif going on?
>>292188686I really like it. It feels like a criticism of that very Japanese "the nail that sticks out" mentality. Quite a unique theme honestly.
>>292174431Great chapter but what the FUCK are they going to do about Zoe? This feels like such a non-sequitur right now.>>292184337Who could possibly stop him?
>>292189081Not sure how to fit the branching tree stuff into this theme specifically. I guess you could tie it into the whole hippy/harmonious aspect of it but that doesn't seem like a strong connection to me>>292189118I think something that makes it even more unique is the European setting and characters really obfuscates this theme at first. Like if it were a more Japanese setting we'd probably clock onto the fact it's criticizing this mentality a lot sooner.
>>292189350After her graceful EXIT to, under current circumstances, a forever sleep, Zoe might not get saved.
>>292189529I like Coura too but come on. Zoe's been set up completely as the winner after all her time bubble lives with Luca.
>>292189562I really wanted Cora to win. I wonder if we'll get anything. I love Cora so much.
>>292189562Why mention Coura out of nowhere? Meds now. Make friends with Courafag >>292189577
>>292189603No one else would be able to deny a Zoe x Luca ending at this stage, not that I have anything against Courabros.
>>292189615Poppy still has a chance!
>>292189630Rot in Hell Poppy.
>Akira's backstory is about musicGet ready for the finale to go doot.
>>292174252>>292174267Interesting how it subsumed her individuality completely, but that one pigtailed girl who got druidic groupthink correction was able to recover a bit. I wonder if Akira could have helped Kaede resist it if he encouraged her from the start instead of going along with her condition.
>>292176912The Pope's probably spent the same amount of time Akira's spent raising alien babies figuring out how to defeat the Empire.
>>292189562Zoe and Akira will win!!!!!
>>292190026Dang, is this what having no children and bitches to take care of afford a man? Truly the bachelor life is for the best.
>>292189845Kaede was specifically possessed by a Druid aka it reproducing with her soul, like they tried to do to Lucas. The girl was just brainwashed.
>>292174267Damn, I assumed that the druid was just using an artificial body that copied his wife's, not that it had jacked her actual body.
>>292184061Poppy is going to get a "karmic justice" ending where she's stuck as a wagie with no free time and no disposable income to spend on hobbies.
>>292174402Now that I look at the page again, it hits really fucking close to home. Life is so much easier and more fulfilling with an intrinsic purpose.
>>292186655Bear in mind they have all that future knowledge and technical know how. With all that it's honestly weirder that they only reached medieval level by the time of the story. The reason advancement takes so long irl is because there's no "plan" or "goal" things just kinda happen on chance, it's basically the monkeys on typewriters writing Shakespeare hypothesis. If you actually did know what you were working towards and how to get there though? That would change everything.
FUCK THE DRUIDS
>>292189615I'm a Courabro expecting her to use her powers to sacrifice herself for Luca.
>>292183351So either Lucas has Kaede soul or he somehow is their actual son (3 parents)
>>292184007I wonder if the kids actually share dna with Akira, the Druids feels more like "spiritual" beings than physical ones
>>292174402>ugly, freckle-faced, hunching, asocial, hobbyists are traitors and should never be trustedWell fuck you, too. I wouldn't be reading this shit if I was any other way
>>292188686I think the way it handles going with the status quo is fine, especially when you consider that this is what Japanese people are known forI like how the Rami get stronger when they live according to their "truth" as well. With Poppy, I don't think it's over yet and there's still plenty of ground to cover. I don't think it's a dim view and I'm a little groggy after waking up from sleep but I think it covered this points in a decent way.
>>292190530Perhaps like physical DNA, DNA of the soul can be inherited. Memes and genes can both be passed down.
>>292190728>Free will is a myth. Religion is a joke. We are all pawns, controlled by something greater: Memes, the DNA of the soul.
>>292190662treacherous faggot detected
>>292182781I feel the same way, I certainly hope those characters aren't skipped over to wrap things up quickly. I'm committed to reading this manga until 2030 if need be.
>>292189529Zoe literally told Lucas it was possible to wake her up. She's getting saved from her sleep.>>292189845The druid was implanted in her and churning babies out of her. The other girl was just getting brainwashed and wasn't even a Rami or anyone linked to Kaede's lineage or whatever.
>>292189845>>292191276I wonder why the druids haven't figured out how to make another Kaede and spawn new hybrids. They've got Kayano seeding the planet and many rami and regular women on hand. With so many resources it should be simple.
>>292191601Didn't they try that with Lucas and that random chick in the Futurist village?
>>292191793Lucas escaped, and that chick kept birthing duds. What I mean to say is they had over a 1000 years and countless rami and women available to experiment on yet they haven't replicated the Kaede phenomenon. There must be some missing component.
Just caught up. Last chapter was amazing, arguably even better than the Mirror fight
>>292174431Thank you for posting.
>>292193093The mirror fight is great as a fight and paneling sequence. Dad's backstory is best as lore reveals and characterization. Though I agree with you, it's really amazing.
>>292190843reminds me of the Alchemist killer from Vidocq
>>292174084I'm genuinely surprised Zoe avoided the death flag from last chapter
>>292195489She said there was a way to wake her up. That already narratively makes it so she'll survive.
>>292195486I think it's more of a bloodborne reference
>>292195486>>292190843I wonder if they stopped using that armor due to it being too blatant a Bloodborne reference. It's a shame, it looks so cool and it's weird it was quietly dropped. In general the Empire armors were rather phased off.
>>292195641That's fanart. The original is even closer.
>>292194832I mean the previous chapter, Zoe vs AkiraI know there's no chance the anime will adapt the whole manga but it seemed like a very unadaptable fight
>>292195641Anons keep saying this, but Akira's helm is too reflective and the shape is only somewhat similar. I wouldn't be surprised if the inspiration is there, but it's too different to be called a reference. There are plenty of smooth visored helmets out there in fiction
>>292196634Look at the concept art I posted. It's so close that it even has the hair. Also the shape is the same.
>>292195819You kidding? There were pause and rewind buttons on screen. That fight would be easier to display in video than on paper. The one I think they'll have trouble with is the mirror fight, with all the panel cutting. I guess they'll need to make it look like your monitor is cracked or something.
>>292196731We would be lucky to get something that inspired. It will just be your average anime beams
>>292196731They'd need to portray it as if the screen was a glass surface with the 2D frame on top. Whenever she swings she breaks the current frame and the rest of the animation continues behind it with the characters / environment having taken damage. I can imagine it somewhat like some animations from Sonny Boy.
Fuck Poppy!
>>292196717Still not seeing it, sorry. The rest of the armor isn't similar and the Cainhurst helmet isn't reflective. I think the artist was just trying to make something that looks futuristic and anacronistic.Could be wrong, though. It's not like I'll be upset if he confirms your theory.
>>292196923Difficult to do while holding your nose!
The fact that the druid gave him the role of father means that there is still something left of Kaede
>>292197528That's cope but I believe it.
>>292174346I wonder if the name has some significance for Kaede and Akira
>>292197599She was hijacked by the hivemind so technically anon is right. They likely consult her opinion on things too.
>>292183794Pretty cool if Lucas is actually his son as well
>>292197878I bet the sapling candidates are Kaede ancestors.
>>292197528The part of her that's left is the bits memories that the skinwalker-tree is plundering to manipulate Akira.
So wich rami are the "fakes" and wich ones are the actual hybrids?
>>292198662hybrids are sapling candidates I'd say
>>292198662Hybrids are Kaede's children as they are conceived by the Druid we know as the Emperor. They all seem to have birthmarks like Kayano. The fakes are the rest.
>>292198698The emperor said that sapling candidates have a soul similar to Kaede so that might not be accurate.
First chapter I've bothered to read in years but I gather it's yet another aside in a manga plagued by its release schedule. Kind of the manga's whole problem. He wants to write tangents you can get away with in a biweekly but suck all the momentum out when you're managing 4 chapters a year.
>>292199252This manga had flat out the best release schedule of any manga up to literally 2 chapters go. It's in the final stretch, it sold like shit and had to change magazines and the authors are working on the anime adaptation. I cut them a lot of slack.
>>292191832Good point. Wonder if Lucas really is just that special then.
>>292199290Will the anime save sales and improve circumstances enough to go back to monthly?
>>292201284The release schedule has nothing to do with sales.
>>292201343What does it have to do with? I've never heard of any interviews explaining the circumstances.
Is it embarrassing to say this manga made me cry? Especially when Luca found out about the future?
>>292174205>>292174402If this chapter struck a chord with you guys, I highly encourage you to check out Gekidou.https://myanimelist.net/manga/188463/GekidouIt's about a sporty guy who quits his team abruptly, and goes through a lot of introspection about his lack of motivation/purpose compared his peers.
>>292201363Schedule management for whatever reason. They aren't being punished by not reaching an imaginary sales target by going quarterly it just doesn't work that way
>>292201284I'll probably have ended by that point.
>>292202424*It'll. I won't die.>>292202085Don't a lot of manga go in hiatus when their anime is being produced?
>>292202475>Don't a lot of manga go in hiatus when their anime is being produced?Where did you even get this idea?
>>292201741Thank you anon, will read this soon
>>292174431Can't say I feel bad for him, but his mindset is unfortunately relatable. People with a true passion/drive for something are to be envied.Coura image because she is cute.
>>292203793Its worse when you know you have the capacity and the ability yet you lack the drive, like Akira
>>292204633The chapter really affected one of my friends for this reason. I guess this chapter is very relatable for many. I didn't think they'd manage that with Akira of all people.
>>292203793Best girl. I WON'T GIVE UP.
>>292205322
>>292201363Just a guess on my part, but they probably have extra work to do cooperating with the anime production.
>>292190052Come to think of it, if Akira's meant to be the typical Japanese NPC wagie mindset taken to the absolute extreme, I wonder if the Pope is suppose to represent another extreme of a totally career driven higher up who actually accomplishes things but ultimately hates his life as much as Akira does.
>>292206698The pope never lost their drive or hope though. Even if they hate everything they're the only one with the will to see things through (and the fucker still is trying to keep people like Oscar in his back pocket). Akira might be dedicated to his daughters, but otherwise he's just going with the flow.That being said, it'd be really funny if the Pope didn't have any tragic backstory. They are just that dedicated to finishing the job, and nothing else.
>>292206792I probably should've mentioned this in the last post but I think the real critique of the Pope's mindset is he pushes away people who'd otherwise 100% be in his corner. All of his allies are with him now out of either convenience or because they share a common goal, but they're not that loyal to him. Lucas has gone behind his back to help the blood guy, Zahid, and Oscar escape him. When he tries to maybe track down Zahid and Oscar for later, Demi cockblocks him. Like that blood guy said, he doesn't really see the people around him as people and I think it's been biting him in the ass constantly in the latter half of this story.
>>292174431>the thing Akira always listens to on the tape is Kaede playing the trumpet
>>292189350>what the FUCK are they going to do about Zoe?Seems to me like she's done until the epilogue. Poppy's a traitor, Miura's dead, Oscar and Zaheed retired, and now Zoe's going to be catatonic. The only rami still operational are Luca, Coura, and Demi. The author has been slowly sidelining all of the combat rami, presumably so Luca has no safety net when all the chips land on the table.
>>292206792I wouldn't mind if the pontiff never gets a backstory. He's the man with the plan and nothing else matters.
>>292208168I bet the Pope knows how to wake Zoe up because they talked during the offscreened simulations. Given that the Pope is also an immortal being associated with a Tower I bet he was also conscious like Akira during the simulations. You can even see the manga focuses on him just staring at Zoe and Lucas leave.
>>292208709Another clue is that Zoe mentioned it like it's supposed to reassure Lucas, but she didn't tell anyone how to wake her up. This would only make sense if she knew the Pope knew.
>>292208168It's made the story feel very lonely and desolate. It could either make the climax one of the most moving of any manga or a complete waste depending on the execution.
>>292208860The story so far has been very emotional, I doubt they'll go for an empty feeling.
>>292208952They already are. I just hope it builds into something that hits hard without feeling cheap or dissatisfying.
>>292208987Really? I found Oscar's ending to be flat out a happy ending, Zoe's was very bittersweet (she said she can be woken up which changes the emotional shape completely). Only Miura got a bad end. Even in the past Udo also got a happy ending.
>>292209027What do think will happen to best girl Poppy?
Is the anime going to make it popular?
>>292209064No
>>292209027You (or whoever) said it yourself, Lucas is gradually running out of allies when he needs them most, and this is just coming off his very long angst arc. It does feel kind of depressing seeing everyone we've followed become incapacitated, die, or abandon the fight while he has to stick it out to reach his goal.
>>292206698I think the Pope has come to realize how dangerous the druids really are, and has been trying to strike back at them while maneuvering a bureaucracy that still thinks the international proxy war is the only priority. His careerism is only a means to an end. I could be wrong since the Pope's true nature is still mysterious, but that's the impression I have so far.
>>292209228Yeah I don't really fault the Pope for taking an extremely big picture view of things with how long he's been around and with his apparent end goal being to drive the druids off of Earth, but he has alienated everyone around him as a result. Pretty much everyone in "his" faction is more loyal to Lucas than they are to him and that could very easily blow up in his face.
>>292209051>From now on, I'm going to live according to my own will!This is going to result in a Poppy heelturn in the 11th hour, surely.
>>292209439I'd love to see her try only for Demi to throw a knife through her eye.
>>292209082To me it's building up to the inverse of the Mirror and Zoe/Akira fights, the final battle of the manga will be all soldiers and strategy. I doubt Mora has a combat power so imo it'll be him vs Lucas in a more "normal" fight where both sides are running on fumes. A subversion of an epic final battle.
Reminder that the futurists and Empire fear the Pope using Lucas more than anything. The Pope has always been secretly onboard total futurist and druid death. Long live the Pope.
>>292209622I wouldn't call that the final battle. There has to be a full on confrontation with the Druids themselves and that may end up involving their homeworld.
>>292209985Normally I doubt we'd go that far, but I also wasn't expecting this entire chapter to be an Akira flashback
>>292189350My guess? Coura will sacrifice herself by transferring her "time" to Zoe to wake her up/Transferring Zoe's sleep to herself. I don't like it because I like Coura, but I have enough pattern recognition to know that's how third wheels with life force transferring powers always end up in manga/anime.
>>292201741any romance in this? boy do i love love
>>292209051She did nothing wrong. >>292209930I never could accept that medieval age ever since they revealed the truth. Akira's backstory has strengthened my feelings about it. Fuck them. Modern Japan should be restored.
I forget, did we ever find out which modern country became the Papal States?
>>292212238Italy, innit?
>>292212262that's just the place, not the future country who sent the towerlike Japan (conglomerate) sent theirs to England
>>292213024Lucas is literally me
>>292213077
>>292213108>ywn grab her horns from behind while you impregnate herTruly existence is suffering
>>292212341If it's not Italy, I don't think we know. If we use the Pope's room exclusively to guess, it seems like he's used to an American lifestyle.
>>292212341I like how it's obvious that everyone scrambled to send their towers to counter UK(Japan's) once they found out Japan sent one first. France, Germany, Sweden, Poland?, Spain, Italy, and a Balkan nation too, I think. Everyone else set up their towers to block UK expansion.
>>292210898She is not a third wheel, she is Lucas' soulmate. I will go down with the ship.
>>292215543>Then you will die braver than most.
>>292213077Many such cases
>>292215543>t. clueless
>>292215890You're in a coma dreaming about potatoes
>>292208168I want to see Demi finally flower and locate anything no matter the distance or point in time. I bet she could even locate human souls trapped in druidic space.
>>292215543anon....
What bothers me with this chapter is how, both the druids and time traveling towers were apparently completely unrelated to each other and just happend around the same time. Druids kinda found out about it and went with it because "muh expansion"? For the two most important plot twists to be slapped together like this feels kinda sloppy
>>292212092There's some touching moments but it's mostly just angst and catharsis as the cast use theater to help work through their personal issues.
>>292217312Disagree. The towers are just another weapon that mankind created and made a pact not to use. If the druids had arrived during the Cold War, the weapon du jour would be nukes.
>>292217312>both the druids and time traveling towers were apparently completely unrelated to each other and just happend around the same timeNo?>>292174275>The Druid had the ability to interfere with people's minds and with time...>And the idea of using these abilities as a weapon had been proposedThe stolen babies were used to develop the towers.
>>292212238'murrca We dunno
>>292218143The Pontiff's PieceThe Pope's People PopperThe Bishop's BoomstickThe Saintly ShooterThe Minister's MagnumThe Papal PistolThe Canonized CannonThe Biblical BlazeThe Holy HeatThe Angelic ArmamentThe Immaculate IronThe Sanctified Semi-autoThe Firearm of FaithThe Apostolic AnnihilatorThe Cardinal's ColtThe Deacon's DerringerGod's GatThe Holy HeaterTrigger of GodThe Beatified BrowningNEGATIVE TWO WORLD WARS
>>292218143Is that a deagle? Is the pope a CoD player?
>>292217896>The stolen babies were used to develop the towers.>the whole sapling candidate situation is due to those infants missing their mother and demanding their mother's soul in particular while towers must find temporary replacement mothers for them to keep the towers going
>>292217312The countries developed the towers based on the Druids, Anon...Either from the stolen babies or from other Druids that dropped offscreen.
>>292217312There was the whole raid on that facilityIt was likely by a competing nation and japan's probably not the only one place where druids started making branch babies
>>292217466ah that's a shame. i love "newfound love pulls someone out of a pit" stories, but most are usually surface level
>>292174084Zoe's still waving that death flag, but this at least gives some sliver of hope that she survives.
even if zoe survives, she said last chapter that she has at most ~40 years left, probably less because of how much she borrowed, so... still not too happy an ending
>>292190362It is in the futurist's interest to keep the past's masses poor, undeveloped, and weak.
>>292174431Akira is the worst character in the manga but if this is his ending, it was a good one.
>>292176912The Popes were smart dudes in their own right.
>>292221022She will marry Lucas
>>292221237He became amazing in retrospect for me, but the backstory came so late and I spent a long time thinking his character was shallow and the worst in the manga. It'll be so good for a reread but I do wish we saw more of him earlier. I guess it wasn't possible given how tied his backstory is to the lore.
i remember starting this series earlier this year, around the spring when the /a/ daily reading thread was happening (and i managed to catch up to it), and loving it. it completely entranced me during the mirror arc, that's probably one of my favorite arcs in any manga ever, especially pic related. i'm someone who didn't like the futurist/druid twist but i still keep up with it anyway. hope the anime is good
>>292221082Flowered Coura may be able to swap people's lifespans. All is not lost yet.
>>292221532I would have picked this up sooner had I known it was a 4D timewar instead of just a fantasy
>>292221532I really loved the Druid stuff due to the way it's executed. The village arc was so uncanny and it's a "sci fi" twist that still keeps the Druids as magic so it doesn't clash badly with the fantasy in my opinion. I also like all the social commentary around the Druids and Lucas' character direction. Even if he mellows out of his darker path it's very realistic and compelling.
>>292221532>>292221584I have a hard time putting it into words what makes this manga so uniqueThe pair behind it are very talented
>>292182760Pretty fingers.
>>292221532The mirror arc was just fantastic all around.
>>292218584Shit...
>>292221654I think for me it's how the manga delivers its ideas and moments that makes it stand out. The whole critique of Japanese society presented here isn't exactly a new idea, but having it come up in a way that completely recontextualizes Akira as a character is what makes it special. I remember thinking Akira didn't want Kayano to rebel cause he saw her future and knows how it ends, but now I'm wondering if he did it cause he didn't want to face the fact that Kayano's mindset was the way out of the hell that his life became. The story's just been very good at delivering reveals in a way that completely changes how you interpret previous events.
>>292221911I like your take on itNow that Akira really has a backstory I think the pope is going to be left as a mystery
akira's fight with that gravity dude is so fucking cool
>>292221491They could have given more hints for sure. If he mentioned what number Kayano he was on, what was recorded on the tape player, his experience with war of the future era, etc.
>>292221782https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_HarlowBaby monkey experiment under a metaphysical lens if true
>>292223481It's his true personality that I wish shined more a bit more. Since we see him from the outside, he looks so shallow and psychopathic. Asking Zoe if Kayano is having fun two chapters ago was great, but I wish he had this texture from the start as he was the main villain for so long.
>>292174296Suffer not a druid to live.
>>292174296You're gonna have to do a little more than that druid-san, if you catch my drift....
>>292224505I actually like that about his portrayal with this reveal. Like part of the tragedy with Akira is he's so good at adapting and going with the flow that he's lost himself to playing the role of a shallow psychopathic villain.
>>292224746It's also a massive foil to Lucas. People focus on his new path like it's some dark side turn, but in reality Lucas decided to stop trying to run away and instead he wants to use the battlefield to tear down the current state of the world.
>>292224795Yeah, it's great. A bit out of left field but it's a big contrast to the ending of Cyberpunk season 2. In that one, David decides to throw everything away to live with the eldritch artificial intelligence because it made him forget his trauma. To me that was almost explicitly a bad end, but many anons seem content to cast aside the implications becuase of waifuism. It would be the equivalent of Lucas taking Zoe away and running away and forgetting everything.
>>292224839I liked that personally, not due to waifuism, but because it was about him doing something for himself, something he truly wanted to. Something so precious to him that.... As someone with trauma I liked it. That specific setting also has no way to improve the world, it's a cyberpunk dystopia, individualism to the extreme. Not even like Akira's example, where he could have tried at several times in the story. There's sincerely no possible way any of the characters in Cyberpunk can improve the world.
>>292224902I knew someone was going to bring up the hopelessness of the cyberpunk setting. Personally, I think people are more inclined to see their situation for what it really is when they are left without hope and in turn it forces them to act. D. going on his rampage against Arasaka, as hopeless and violent and traumatic as it was, at least it was grounded in truth. There's value in such resistance, and him rejecting all of this in favor of , not even another flesh and blood person, but an artificial intelligence that never pushes back and only wants to have fun on her terms, we'll, it comes off as escapism.Oh sorry about your trauma anon, hope you're feeling better
>>292225050She was made of real people, but aside from that, that's a valid view. And thank you, likewise, Anon. I'm doing well lately.
>>292223432Whenever this manga decides to do action, it's fucking great. I also love that it's so character focused that it gets you emotionally invested in it.
>>292177014>They can keep bringing Akira back as many times as they wantLimited by tower energy it seems, time still passes forward.
>>292225050>escapismThat's fundamentally the crux of cyberpunk. It's an oppressive awful dystopia with only bad ends where the only way to really end up for your average (non-main character) is throwing a tantrum that gets people you hate killed. Ironically, a majority of those people are just doing their jobs too but they're cogs in the machine
>>292206961The Pope's issue is that he reflexively schemes even when he doesn't gain anything out of being sketchy.It's just natural to him now and he can't turn it off.
>>29222108267 in the medieval world is a very respectable lifespan.
>>292223432I loved how the paneling changes whenever his ability is used, the brief scene last chapter was great.
>>292226229The brief look at his backstory was very moving as well.
So is the pope just a regular guy?
>>292206961>>292226142I expect the Pope's backstory will explain why they can't help but scheme. I don't think it was easy for them to make it that far without having to think up 100 different schemes just to survive. I also really wonder what gender they're going to be as I get the feeling he's a guy, but there's still the off chance she's a woman too.
damn I almost forgot because of the new schedule. and the sites uploading while it was monthly still aren't on to it.. anyone got the raw chapter to share?
>>292226745I still call the Pope a he but honestly this extra made me think it could be a woman lmao. Also it'd make sense as a foil seeing how Akira is Kayano's dad and the Pope is Zoe's mom.
>>292213077Post the next page. That's /a/ stuff.
>>292216210Adult Zoe is so incredibly hot it boggles the mind. The age gap is great too.
>>292226760it's up on weebcentral
>>292227795>raw
>>292217312Trust the plan.
>>292174084Just found out a new chapter was out, hurray!
>>292174084it's been so long I don't even remember what happened last chapter or if I missed it
>>292230578Zoe flowered, fought Akira and time itself got raped sideways again and again until it begged for mercy. Zoe won.
>>292197878I don't think so because he lacks the burn-like scar of the Druid hybrids. It could be that he is descended from a hybrid, or as another anon suggested, an ancestor of Kaede (this is undermined by the Setting being in Europe and Kaede being Japanese, but it was also mentioned that the towers also mixed in Japanese elements into the past).
>>292226760dropbox.com/scl/fi/ay0m3m64ydnu9pwqasuss/0-20261113T155029Z-1-001.zip?rlkey=e6ulx54yz6shgng8a6tulrpjg&st=sdki6ev5&dl=0I uploaded them for you. Are you TLAnon, who helped us a bunch in the past? If so, cheers. Hope you've been well.
>>292231072i'm not, but thanks!
>>292230435>>292230435Good chapter. It served more to resonate thematically with the rest of the series and to shed light on some mysteries than to advance the plot. But I suppose that series needed a slower chapter like this, considering how much happened in the last one.Anyway, I'm excited for the anime next year. There is a bright future ahead, buglebros.
>>292231382The anime is going to be shit
>>292231425Unfortunately... there's no way it is good. At least it's gonna increase the visibility of the manga. More readers...
>>292231472That's even worse
>>292231425You just gotta believe, bro.
>>292231425I believe anything Demi says
>>292231425The quality of the anime is out of our control so just enjoy the ride as much as you are able, or not.
>>292231425
>>292206961>>292206792>>292226142I feel like there was a real change in the Pope. He did let Oscar and Zahid go. It even contrasted greatly with what happened with Udo where he had to be forced. I still love that it's very ambiguous if he is simply a better person or if he wants to be in Lucas' good side. I can't wait to see more about her.
>>292231425This time, for real, people will believe us when we say "the manga is better"
Last for Cora best girl
>>292231425I'll still watch it but I'm not optimistic.I already came to terms long ago that any anime adaption wouldn't be able to live up to the hype of shit like Zoe breaking through the panels or Miura playing Hotline Miami.
>>292234101cute image
>>292220970Fuck love
>>292204776It really affected me as someone with a very successful career. I have never felt passionate toward it and I only pursued it to go with the flow. I'm just a pathetic, evil, scummy person.
>>292237110I want to find love
>>292237703You don't need it. Loving yourself is all you need.
>>292237728no
>>292237703I wish you good luck, Anon>>292237185I relate a lot because I want to follow the arts, even if I am afraid of it being economically precarious. I enrolled to become a professional writer. I wanna write good fiction...>>292232386At least the art is so good that anyone that takes a look at it would get hooked. The start in particular has fantastic art.
>>292238772>At least the art is so good that anyone that takes a look at it would get hooked. The start in particular has fantastic art.That's not how a manga can hook you. For me it was when the other rami were introduced and Miura being cool when I got interested
>>292238811I'm talking about the most shallow first impression that makes people pick it up or not. A lot of people will find the art extremely eye catchy.
>>292238838Yeah the art is great but the first chapter never did it for meI'm glad I continued because of the setting
>>292238861The first chapter feels a bit disconnected. In general the opening act doesn't feel very congruent with the whole story.
>>292238912As a setup it works and really is necessary to set up Ryuka and the others I think it's just so slow and that can put you offI have not reread it since it was dumped here so I can't remember very clearly
>>292239063the first chapter nearly made me drop the thing because the whole angsty 'this whole world is shit. it's shit. kuso shit. burn it to the ground it's shit" attitude from lucas was so cliched and drawn out that i thought everything else would be misery porn ass. but it lightened up a lot a couple chapters later and was turned out fantastic
>>292239226Miura saves the day!
>>292239226The world IS shit though, but you have to find something to make it fun
>>292231425I think the anime will be good. The studio is new and they will want to make their mark.
>>292239532alternatively, the studio is new and therefore a cheap option to push out an adaptation
>>292239610The producers history is not impressing
>>292239619sugoi desune
>>292174431let me guess lucas power break the connection betwen them and the druids allowing kaede to destroy them from the inside
>>292240889The Pope is going to reveal the gun contains a Druid-killing power and shoots her.
Demi flowers and sees that the druids have small dicks and berates them and they shrivel out of existance
>>292241681Small stamens
The anime will be good.The Pope is a guy.
>>292239532I'm still optimistic about it, but we've already seen CGI cavalry in the trailer. My expectations are tempered.
>>292241865This is correct because I want it to be.
The anime is going to be bad but poppy is still worse than all the ai slop we have coming
>>292243196Sloppy fellatio from Poppy...
>>292243263No
