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| THIS IS A MANGA ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS ANYTHING BEYOND THIS CHAPTER. ---------------------------------------- This chapter completely took me by surprise in some ways! As expected, Nomiya has to face the repercussions for all his violent outbursts these past few months but might at least be judged less harshly, seeing as he's still a minor. (It's really easy to forget that Kiyo and him should still only be around 18-19 y/o.) But what really got to me was me remembering how both Takahashi and Nomiya imagined this fictional game when Nomiya visited him in the hospital (back when he had freshly shaved off his head and Takahashi was only starting to understand what kind of life change he's going to be facing) and therefore reading those panels convinced that this was just going to be another alternative past/ future take (we've seen so many in Real...). So imagine my surprise to find out that this was actually what took place in the past and we got some much appreciated detail on how their relationship started out. --- Also this marks the first time that we ever get any information concerning Nomiya's father & it feels like a painfully good issue for Nomiya and Takahashi to bond over! The complicated relationship torn between admiration/ idealisation and devaluation because of pain due to rejection that Takahashi has with his father and how his absence has shaped him growing up & Nomiya's seeming loneliness have been major themes (the former obviously playing a huge part in the early story) so far, this felt like a natural extension of those themes and fitting exploration of their shared past. Seeing how they instinctively respected each other's skill back then and easily became friends before Takahashi frightened himself into pushing Nomiya away (him seeing how they have so many similarities, from their shared passion for basketball, their position as students, but most terrifyingly to him: their shared feelings of loss / pain/ loneliness due to parental neglect; and he obviously doesn't want to continue to see himself & the parts he hates the most about himself reflected in Nomiya; wants to believe he's better than that; tells that lie about his father working in US (still finding ways to further enhance this unrealistic socially acceptable version of his father to be bragged about); finds new friends who support this twisted world view of ranking people; ultimately, utterly rejecting Nomiya) is such a bittersweet way of reframing their relationship and making us wonder/ care about what could've been. --- I think it's fitting that Nomiya finally escalated when the only thing linking them together - Basketball - also became another barrier between him and the rest of his world (when they excluded him during the game) and they therefore took away the thing most important to him. It's an interesting theme that keeps returning - the hint at/ question about a characters' possible salvation at the hand of Basketball, if only they could've had a chance to play it/ succeed in it. It was so fitting to end at that violent confrontation; him feeling he's become just as bad as all the bullies who've tormented him in his past. And Natsumi- Natsumi at the end of it all and the beginning for us readers to follow his story. Kiyo's words about going back to the beginning take on a new meaning in this chapter. --- While this chapter ended on Shiratori, I really want to see what conclusion Nomiya has come to. (And I really miss Kiyo and Nomiya and Natsumi and Nomiya interactions :P) And I'd love to see Takahashi's girlfriend take on a bigger role in this arc! Btw I also enjoyed the short cameo of Ugo. |
JacksnappJul 7, 2020 9:14 PM
| I might be overinterpreting things, but in retrospect while thinking about this new chapter (not actively rereading it though) I've realized that the lunchbox change was also a great little character detail: Nomiya yearns for the presence of his mother/ an encouraging parent in his life, immediately recognizing the value of a homemade meal While Takahashi is always quick to dismiss his mother's efforts since he secretly blames her for not having made his dad (whom he's been idealizing all this time, especially after he's left) stay with them somehow. Home / his mother remind him of failure/ hurt, he tries his best to push that away, to rise above his most likely lonely, hurt, overwhelmed mother. He denies any sentmental value to her lunches/ doesn't appreciate it, since he's never known anything else |
| Nomi and Takahashi had a thing back in high school, that was surprising. |
| “Life is a constant process of dying.” |
| memories, a lot of memories when both played together in the high school!!! kekeke |
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