#chapter 1153

[hn-undercover-9503]

guys what if lola was just the first person to tell him she liked his eyes

[fallensnowfan]

It turns out that my thoughts about the Ringo covers have, unsurprisingly, taken up a ton of space, so here we go. Part four of my series of pinned posts about the Wano cover arc, focusing on the Ringo covers and beyond, weeeee!

Part one.

Part two.

Part three.

Arriving in Ringo leads to the delightful trio of Cho, Kiku, and Yamato meeting up, many pretty environment scenes, panels with cool perspectives, shoujo vibes, and us quickly learning about an interesting part of Wano's history.

The temple for Moria having a big piece missing out of the gate pillar and it generally being run down could suggest an attack. Perhaps Kaido and Orochi didn't allow it to be maintained during their reign. All of the swords and the axe around Moria's grave are not katana either. Maybe they are the weapons Moria's crew fought with and there was a battle nearby.

Even on the covers, Oda finds a way to make the contrast between Wano of the past and Wano of the present pretty interesting.

"Time to munch on apples and return to the Flower Capital!"

The group is preparing to leave Ringo while carrying a bushel of ringos. I like the wordplay. Onimaru appearance! He's a very sweet and precious fox. And it's really sweet how Wano's people have accepted Kaido's kid and also are not holding a grudge against Ulti and Page One, and have welcomed all three.

It's surprising to see these three casually here. This is a sudden shift away from learning about Moria, but they are still in Ringo. Something else may happen in the region or on the way to, possibly in the Capital. Perhaps the Beast Pirates we haven't seen are going to trouble. Or something to bring Kiku and Cho back into focus.

We've not gotten a cover blatantly saying the region we will go to this directly, at least not without having a defined goal at the next location. It makes me wonder if this is too easy, if there will be some last point made here in Ringo. A battle in the region, along the lines of Moria's and Kaido's battle, could be a fitting finale of this cover arc.

Or maybe we'll see Yamato pointing out the flaws of how Wano/the Daimyo system is currently run to Momo somehow. That would make good use of the fact that Yamato has seen the country and gotten to know the people now. Momo offering the Daimyo a chance to leave or do something else would be nice to see.

Remember, Wano is the kind of culture where they hide their problems behind a smile and don't mention them. Momo hides his hunger when we first meet him, Kin'emon says being bitten by a shark doesn't hurt, Tama also hides her hunger, Kiku gets insulted when Izo asks her if her injury hurts. The culture teaches its people that leaving is bad, toxic loyalty, and to hide their pain/problems. That's part of why the way Orochi used the Smile fruits was such an effective and cutting scheme.

If this isn't the final entry, a scenario where the flaws of the Daimyo system are brought up and addressed could work too. And in the long term, I'd enjoy seeing Moria return to Ringo and meet with Kiku and Cho.

"The shrine to Oden and his companions overlooking the Flower Capital."

1160's cover is here and it's quite the stunner. It's very sweet to see the completed shrine to honor Oden and everyone, that was mentioned as something the Kozuki folks want to have built in 1052. And this cover provides another really nice perspective with a wide view to look upon the beauty of the Flower Capital. How wondrous a sight Wano is.

The Moria reveal will likely be something that is focused more on in the main story, and we may also see the current flashback overlap with the Oden flashback. This cover arc seems about done however.

If we see Sukiyaki on the covers, aside from him potentially paying respects at the shrine built for his son and sharing some interesting history, I'd like seeing him commenting on how he maybe felt that he let Oden down in the past.

Sukiyaki never really supported Oden's desire to be able to leave Wano, didn't allow such a thing, especially not after he became a Daimyo, and it eventually lead to Oden wanting to leave so badly that he turned his back on his country when they needed him.

This is kinda weird to think about, though for the sake of an example, if Oden were still alive and a Daimyo, I wonder if Momo would have the law changed which makes it illegal for citizens to leave.

It would be good for Wano and for Momo for him to learn to avoid making the same mistakes that Sukiyaki did.

Chapter 1161's is a sentimental cover for this blog. I was hoping we'd see this. It's such a nice shrine dedicated to many of Wano's fallen heroes.

It's sweet seeing Kin and Momo visiting the shrine. If this cover serial continues, I would enjoy seeing Kin'emon telling Yamato and Momo stories of some of the heroes they are less familiar with, and for the stories of them to be shared with all of Wano's kids. That locals and those from overseas all worked to fight for Wano.

We learned something new about Moria at his shrine, learning something new about some of the heroes here could be neat. If this counts as new, I noticed that Izo's family name, Hanayanagi, is not written on his lantern. Similar to Ace, he views Whitebeard as his father, and have left behind his family birth name.

"Sir Luffy, Wano is once again at peace!"

A nice cover to bring this pilgrimage to a close! Yamato is wearing the cloak that Kin and Momo wear and Momo and Yam look good enjoying their oden skewers. While Kiku, Ulti and Page One, have matching cloaks. I still do wonder about the potential meaning of those six being visually designated as two trios by their respective matching cloaks.

Kiku, Ulti, and Page One each have sun cloaks, Kin’emon-Momo-Yamato moon cloaks.

Kin’emon and Ulti having a chat is cute and since Page One is not here, I’m curious if he decided to spend more time in the Ringo region. Kin'emon and Momo and Yamato and Ulti would surely be a very loud and raucous quartet. The quiet company of Kiku and Cho would undoubtedly be preferable for Page One.

Kiku being perfect, and the reveals of Moria being raised in Wano and Kanjuro's betrayal being kept as a detail only the closest members of Kozuki clan are aware of aside, I think the part of the current covers I liked most is seeing everyone accepting Yamato, which Kaido said would not happen, and Yamato not repeating Oden's mistakes.

Moria not being included in the shrine with many other characters has me wondering if Kin is oblivious to Moria's history in Wano, but Kiku and Cho do know his history.

And it is nice that Yamato finally got to know people of Wano who are alive in the present and spend time in the place he prepared twenty years preparing to fight for. That connection felt missing during the arc to me, which is part of why the character didn't really resonate for me until this cover arc.

So all in all, we see the status of Wano and what the prominent characters are up to after the defeats of Kaido and Orochi, a detailed conflict with established baddie Who’s Who, which results in Ulti and Page One becoming allies, and a cool Tama kick! We learn a good amount of Moria’s past, that Kanjuro’s betrayal is seemingly not being made public knowledge, and the Kanjuro who the group knew as their friend is being honored, which is very very generous of Kin'emon. Yamato and Wano’s people also prove Kaido wrong by the fact that Yamato has been accepted by Wano. Yamato is given food, Kaido took it away.

Getting to see the characters finally relaxing, having had to deal with Ryokugyu attacking prior when they were having a party, is nice too.

Most importantly however, is that Kiku and Cho have formed a sweet and badass working relationship. Chrysanthemum and moonflower. Kiku and Shakky parallels have been established too. So I’m going to be keeping a close eye on Shakky’s story in the chapters. Pretty good for a cover serial if you ask me. A lot happened for one of these, it set up Wano's status and Moria's history for later, and I’m satisfied with it. Ulti and Page One being redeemed perhaps a bit too easily, and the locals not getting more focus with each other and their own established dynamics are the parts I didn't love, but it's still a very good cover arc to me.

The main hook I’m looking forward to seeing more of Ringo natives Kiku and Cho knowing so much about Moria, to the point I imagine they have met him and perhaps spent time with and helped him throughout his childhood. And Moria and Perona possibly traveling to Ringo now that Kaido is gone.

Cover serials by # of chapters:

Decks of the World 48

Caribou & Grand Fleet 46

Wano 44

Miss Goldenweek 43

And how many we've spent in Ringo and post:

5 in Ringo.

3 post Ringo.

[newetoing]

My girl!!!!

Kiku

She is daimyo of Ringo T–T

[chromatic-lamina]

if Loki looked like Orochi, I doubt the fandom would love him like they’re gearing up to do. I get it; he’s hot — we haven’t seen him do heinous things — but even if he had, the propensity to donquixote-forgive is there for the handsome men. His personality is more fun than Orochi too, although, if he looked like him, would we think so?

[basedkikuenjoyer]

(What's the Story?) Morning Glory

"Through Ringo's winters, Chrysanthemum, Moonflower... Such lovely blossoms."

What? I don't care if the rubber dork found the treasure this chapter, this takes precedence. DaimyOkiku! She has returned! Now of course I thought we'd be going a different direction but we'll take this at face value for now with the caveat there's a reason I polled about final fate. We're still doing this after the main point of the cover serial when we could have just met her first for a reason. True to form, I don't even have to stretch to have plenty to say about one good Kiku panel. One for her is worth ten for anyone else and our girl has never needed to rely on a crutch like dialogue.

Don't miss this is starting off as a subversion, it's actually very different than the previous four. Those were all short stories but very much like a Mito Komon episode. Yamato did something, then Daimyo dude shows up, each story was showing the people this young man is a dependable hero like old Oden by getting the endorsement of the coolest dudes in the country and catching the eye of every lady. This? Well this is just kicking off at the Daimyo's mansion seeing her as a friend. Don't forget Yamato still has that letter from Kin'emon we don't know about either. Especially with this very austere title that feels a little like setting up a story and Cho being here adds so much intrigue. Ohhhhhh Cho...you are the pièce de résistance in this one-panel epic.

The first thing...daww! We could see so many Kikus after so long and I'd be happy, but firing herself out the door for a classic torpedo gabaglomp into a Yamato gleefully dada-dashing to meet her complete with stereo floofy bangs is adorable and instantly rockets up to a contender for best Kiku panel. They are bestest buddies now apparently. I like to imagine when the gang first met him she was just like, duh bulls have horns and I figure Oden wasn't so clueless he didn't ponder Kiku's nature or how she's different than Izo at least once so Yamato got to show her that. Figured total coin flip odds between this or oil & water when they met. No middle ground. This version is more fun. She has a lifetime of playful cattiness with Hiyori/Shino ahead of her. Yamato? There's a cuter word for it...I know. On that subject I never noticed before until seeing them together like this but Yamato actually does have the heavier build between the two. Look at the hands, wrists, ankles...his are all just a little bigger. He's stockier and less bandy-legged than Kiku as well. Excellent subtlety.

Calling her Kikunojo here is subtle too but it caps off a pretty funny story with that name in this role. Because the original intention is so weird and a reflection of the abusive father. If it literally means "Chrysanthemum Lady" or thereabouts it's kinda like the O-Toko pun. But given her personality it probably didn't bother her and no one really thinks just Kiku is an odd name for a girl to have like any flower. If you know the full name though it sounds so redundant it calls attention to itself right? Remember none of the gang use it except one time Kin's really really trying to hold back wanting to act like a worried father/uncle figure. But now? It just sounds like you're being proper and calling her "Lady Kiku" because you know, Daimyo! Okiku is too informal.

This is my take on the kimono by the way since it'll be a while before we get some kind of official coloring. The flowers are probably Sakura but because they're similar I thought a Plum Blossom theme fit the wintry, regal mood better. Cute she's comfortable just wearing florals without hiding behind the namesake connection, it's at least a believable calculation I could see her making like how I could hide florals behind acting like I smoked so much grass I channeled Jim Morrison.

Speaking of...yeah we have a third person here and while she was not super relevant in Wano we know enough about her I'm super, super intrigued. And not just because...fuckin dynamite yuri pairing no? Samurai/Yakuza Yuri? How can we not? Do not forget this bitch is salty. She is no lady and does not try to be. Yugao O-Cho. Yugao can be either Bottle Gourd or Moonflower, which is a very pretty type of morning glory that opens up at night. Her Vivre Card mentions she got the reputation as someone excellent at fighting in the dark. Neat. Also arguably a reference to Genji Monogatari. Which is a very well-known piece of Heian Era (classical high point in line with Byzantium-ish) literature. A young mistress of the titular Genji who wowed him with her intelligence and died tragically young. So an early Lilith archetype, and holy shit does this girl need a tough big sister's influence and Cho's presence makes it clear Yamato isn't that. The butterfly symbolism speaks for itself given the main pair too. What a hairstyle, I know the two "antenna" hair sticks are probably poison-tipped darts.

I love everything she adds here. Seriously, if this is it and our answer is Kiku's final fate is just chilling with Cho as the Anne Perkins to her Leslie Knope...I'm kinda down for that. And yes, that does make Yamato Ron Fuckin' Swanson. Note Kiku's not carrying a sword. Obviously this one seems set at the Daimyo's Mansion (which is intriguing in its own right) so less need to but given the injury and her gentle nature...is Cho more of an open enforcer? That is bitchin' and a way for this role to be liberating. My only thing was that being so young she might want one last hurrah of doing something wild, but overall personality wise Kiku's an excellent fit for an administrative role. This is way in your wheelhouse and given my political history it just makes her more relatable. This is freedom, future versions of the dynasty less so but being a Daimyo who installed a Shogun? You are your own woman after that, the domain is a gift for restoring him to the throne.

I'm half-joking but Cho probably has had her boys put out the word calling the Daimyo a man's costing you a finger. Wano's strict culture now sorta works in your favor...do you think a soul in Ringo needed to be told to be respectful? She's 22, adorable, and a two-time national hero. Ringo will see it as a point of pride to pamper their humble Daimyo more than anything because it makes the region look good. Just like being the poster girl, duty and desire are sorta aligned here. Wouldn't we all love to live in a land where the bitterest feud is over which salon gets to style the ruler's hair? It is wonderful to imagine poor, bashful Kiku being too nice to refuse. The title cements her as a very comparable character to Vivi, Rebecca, Pudding, Hancock, or Shirahoshi. Welcome to Club Girlboss...god knows out of any of them you earned it.

Kiku as a Daimyo? Do you think that little skrunkly down front ever dared to dream? Cool bookend with Kikuhime being a Daimyo's daughter huh? She's obviously the type who'd inspire earnest love from the people by doing things like taking in orphans or clandestinely buying out the contracts of daughters sold to brothels...then probably teaching them Ryuo, sending them home, and letting what happens happen. Teaching kids useful things just like Otohime. Settling disputes fairly and showing a lot of mercy to lawbreakers. I hope she declares Tama the official heir although...you still never know.

I can still see a way to make this fit what I was thinking. A surrogate pilgrimage to set up a surrogate Daimyo. Why? What if there already is a Hanayanagi Clan heir out there? Maybe Izo left behind a niece/nephew. Kin's letter could have been the approval because look at this friendship...might have been the plan all along. Leaving to track down your heir is a valid excuse for you to go, some ancillary diplomatic goals could fit, it's something Marco would know, it allows Yamato to experience this part of Oden's journey. Not dwelling, just saying it's plausible. I could see cool things out of her either way though like training a regiment or two of riflewomen. The arts will flourish in Ringo and it'd be cute to see the Hanayanagi Style of dance become a basic lesson every kid gets.

Like...there's no contest which Daimyo will be the most popular with her people. Give it a year or two and she'll be a tastemaker/style icon on par with Hiyori and likely the subject of several cute comedies about running the domain like a household. Your life is a parable about giving every child a fair chance. Especially with that unique hook of being the scion of a lost school of dance. Unlike the others, you have a legitimate claim to Ringo high society and likely the reputation as the one of Oden's gang that had a few manners. That is a secret recipe to immense political power, comparable to a beloved US Governor. Forget playing national political games, all you have to do is lead by example and Ringo becomes the vanguard for social/cultural reform. Especially with an ally like Hiyori.

There is something poetic about the orphan turned away on the snowy streets rising to the rank of Daimyo...and not even once considering taking revenge. That's a legacy that will echo long and loud in Wano. That's the type of leader Oden and the guys could never be, someone who doesn't need to display strength because no one wants to make the Daimyo cry. It is a role that lets you bring both sides of yourself to it. Because the people of Ringo know their Daimyo is strong enough to protect them, they can relax and make maintaining her good cheer and beauty a point of pride...

(Yes, I knew it from The Simpsons too) Glamour is power, and in the wise words of one of my favorite villains...power is power. No matter what form it takes. Oden may have never cultivated their own talents, but its entirely up to you how to approach this new role. Being the shining starlet of Ringo is a valid approach. Who charmed the ghastly oiran into liberating Udon again? I wanna see the Kabuki play about Lady Kiku & Chopperemon's conquest or mercilessly toying with the rotten Yokozuna that becomes a beloved Chrysanthemum Festival tradition. We better get an official artwork of Ringo's main street done up for the festival and her birthday. I need to see that. My heart is not ready to start delving into the amazing connection of Chopper helping a "flower" blossom and lift the spirits of a wintry land but it's there and it's lovely.

Otherwise, it's a cool ending for Kiku. Through all the ups and downs, you landed in a role where people will be more likely to fight over getting to fawn over you rather than wanting to see you pushed to take up a sword ever again. A role that cares more about your wit and social graces than getting bloody. A role that isn't really in anyone's shadow. If the whole point of being a Daimyo is to field an army for the Shogun...Ringo's fanatical loyalty to their charming liege will guarantee that isn't a problem. And it's really heartwarming to think of that day long in the future Momo's at the end of his reign and still knows he can count on his old nanny. Kiku's definitely the type to outmaneuver Momo politically over little things just to make a point he has to be more cautious. He'll have his hands full managing five Daimyo who aren't afraid to throw down.

There'll be a time it's just Momo, Hiyori, Kiku, Yamato, and Toko/Tama left who actually remember what really happened underneath decades of stories. Kiku's got a good shot at actually being the last one who remembered Oden and if you think about that like, 15-20 years you'd assume between her and the guys finally passing away there's a real chance for her to distinguish herself by virtue of having the last word. There would be at least one whole generation in Wano who remembered only Lady Kiku the Gentle, Ringo's beloved grandmother and the last of the legendary Akazaya Nine.

Brother Izo would be so proud, and I cannot wait to see what happens between you and the new bestie. Are we...are we gonna get to see her fancy Daimyo room?

[grubbycritter]

something something about the state of the world and this being the latest chapter

also stark contrast between Ripley describing the ancient mural depicting a world of cultural exchange as child’s dream…. Girl… that mural may be ancient but that dream isn’t a child’s dream. It’s the dream Harald had for Elbaf barely 100 years ago.

[fallensnowfan]

I reread a few scenes and am thinking more about Loki's disparaging views towards humans, alongside Ida's sentiments here, and am wondering if Loki'll still think this way about humans, after whatever happens with Imu.

Luffy and Zoro have both done things to make Loki dislike them, so it'll be tough for the two to earn his respect I think, especially with Luffy liking the guy who chained Loki up for so long.

[chromatic-lamina]

chapter 1153 spoilers

So I know the eight legged lucky horse ties in to Norse mythology (not an expert, just from what I’ve read);

and we have Killingham . tying into Japanese (kirin) and Chinese (qilin) mythology; and

then Stronger tying into Greek mythology (Pegasus).

There are other ungulates (Moocy), and Killingham is obviously more sentient than Stronger (I think), and Lucky (Asura).

Anyhoo, the 8-legged lucky horse (and we all know that the figure 8 is lucky) is dead, but it’d be fantastic if it was Killingham’s opponent, at least for part of the time. Killingham needs to be in Kirin form for this to work, of horse course!