This was easily the best chapter in quite some time, as Fujiwara finally decided to portray Usui as one of the main characters, rather than the insufferable and increasingly pathetic Tora. It did, however, possess several noticeable flaws, which further illustrated the tedious nature of this arc.
For the first time in this needlessly dramatic and surprisingly uninteresting arc, there was actually an enjoyable balance within the chapter. Though the comedy was a bit exaggerated, particularly towards the beginning of the chapter, it signified a lighthearted tone that has been nearly altogether absent since the 57th chapter, which was essentially the peak of quality for this manga.
The romance, in particular, was fantastic, especially Usui and Misaki’s kiss towards the end of the chapter. There’s an inherent chemistry involved that can, of course, never be found in Tora and Misaki’s interactions. Fujiwara typically excels with the romantically significant moments, and, thankfully, she didn’t disappoint in that area. I’m hoping, now that they’ve finally reunited, Tora will realistically disappear from the story, since he can no longer offer anything of worth to the narrative (not that he really has before, mind you), and a furtherance of slightly focusing on his “interest” towards Misaki would be an immensely flawed and hopefully impossible approach to developing the conclusion of this arc. Following this arc and what I assume will be a pleasant resolution to these numerous complications, I’m hoping that Usui and Misaki’s relationship can simply progress in a natural manner, without the need for petty interferences and avoidable complications.
Tora’s seemingly hundredth confession was just as idiotic and meaningless as his first. Thankfully, at the very least, Tora surprisingly didn’t kiss her, which would have effectively ruined the chapter, as well as diminishing the romantic moments between Usui and Misaki that followed. I’m hoping, of course, that Tora will quickly exit the story following this chapter, since he adds absolutely nothing to the narrative or the character dynamics, aside from the extremely ancillary and dull potential that he’ll eventually sexually assault Misaki yet again, thus cheating on the fiance he doesn‘t even attempt to gravitate towards. I‘d like to think such a thing won‘t occur though, since, if it were to happen, I assume he would have made his move on Misaki prior to leaving for England and it really doesn’t seem like something Fujiwara would illustrate, since it would greatly tarnish his slowly-maturing character and slightly detract from the effectiveness of the manga as a whole. Not to mention, any sort of immensely contrived triangle would also be extremely ill-advised, since it would be thoroughly detrimental to the story and, due to Misaki and Usui’s lasting relationship and her inherent and very understandable contempt for Tora, along with Tora’s commitments to his soon-to-be wife, it would only appear to be a manufactured attempt to placate the very small section of readers that still ship other pairings this late into the story.
The most disappointing aspect of this chapter was the indication that all of Misaki’s training was, in fact, an irrelevant diversion, particularly highlighting the very unfortunate realization that the previous two chapters were comprehensively pointless, beyond some frustratingly repetitive and banal shipping moments for those very few that don’t appreciate the relationship between Usui and Misaki. I mean, I was willing to excuse Misaki’s dance with Tora if she was, as everything indicated, going to actually implement her newly acquired skills towards somehow proving herself to the Walker family, but, rather than methodically approaching the situation, she rushed into the castle without a moment’s hesitation. As such, the obstacle of infiltrating the Walkers and finding Usui was entirely accomplished without a single glimpse of the seemingly numerous lady-like qualities she had so arduously striven to obtain. This, of course, highlights the fact that she could have succeeded in her venture several chapters ago and wouldn’t owe Tora a damn thing. After all, Tora, in the end, only assisted by offering her the ability to quickly arrive in England, and yet Fujiwara seems intent on artificially constructing this mirage of selflessness within Tora’s actions, which will, in all likelihood, lead to yet another instance which repetitiously involves Tora forcing himself on Misaki in some inexcusable fashion, this time under the guise of merely accepting what he’s owed. However, now that Usui has finally reunited with Misaki, there really is no justification whatsoever for a continued prevalence of Tora’s trite “interest” in Misaki. Perhaps, just this once, he can actually swallow his ceaseless selfishness and grow up from his childish and petty ways.
The cliffhanger was quite intriguing, so I’m expecting that this will be thoroughly focused on in the following chapters, rather than a continuance of Tora’s increasingly tangential presence. I’m a bit skeptical however, since the pace has dramatically elevated and I’m not entirely certain which direction Fujiwara intends to follow. At the very least, I’m hoping that a certain level of maturity will be sought by both parties involved, and perhaps a partially amicable resolution for this aspect of the story. This arc, despite the long-awaited departure for England, has become increasingly stale, so I’m hoping the tedium is soon discarded.
Barion-Zara said: Wow Tora is really making his move on Misaki and he actually got her to blush. Quite an accomplishment if u ask me hehe.
I’d consider her to be a rather weak character if she was legitimately blushing, since, aside from deeply loving Usui, Tora did, in fact, attempt to rape her in the past, and it’s already unrealistic that she would deign herself to be in the same room with him, much less blush at his repetitive advancements towards her due to anything but a deeply felt feeling of surprise. |