Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I did these all the time for Fairy Tail on my side blog. Now that Eden’s Zero is out, I thought I should bring it to my main blog. For those who wouldn’t know, I use this series to comment on/joke about the official version of this chapter available in a few places. Let’s go!
The main character is called Shiki, like Monster Hunter Orage. Otherwise known as, “The only Mashima work I haven’t read.”
“There are loads of things you’ll never know if you stay here all your life.“ Subtle foreshadowing is subtle. Anything else you want out of the way?
“Machines don’t have hearts.” Okay.
My first thought seeing Rebecca’s ship is that it reminds me of the Epoch from Chrono Trigger.
Shock is the feeling you have when you learn that one of your main characters explores the universe as a “Youtuber”. Familiarity is the feeling you have when it’s a Mashima character who worries about sex appeal.
I promise not to make a ton of Fairy Tail comparisons, but I was looking back through Lucy and Brandish meeting that one time (you either know or you don’t) and she made her wear cat ears. Could Mashima have known?
Also, does Rebecca count as a furry or am I reading too much into this?
Blatant sexual harassment... in my Mashima manga? It’s more likely than you think.
Helpful hint: Before asking someone who you just met to be your friend, it’s best to apologize for any previous actions they deem inappropriate.
Honestly, I don’t know how Rebecca could have thought the robots wouldn’t know who Shiki is.
“Just like me when I was your age.“ You’re a robot.
“Why am I not supposed to look when she’s changing?“ ”Because she’s a girl.“ Let’s see how long that sticks.
Rebecca eating more than Shiki is a welcome change to the norm.
Shiki breaking the table was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a manga in a while. (Sorry MHA fans.)
Rebecca wants to cut Shiki’s hair without his permission? This relationship isn’t off to a healthy start. I guess you could say its... cancerous?
For the uninitiated, I feel like it’s important to take note of what gets focused on. On the one hand, showing that Rebecca is getting tied up matters. Seeing as much as we do makes me feel dirty.
Punishing one person over the things that tons of other people did to them in the past? That’s ridiculous. What kind of people would do something like that?
It’s interesting to see that Michael’s text font switches from one similar to the other robots to one similar to Rebecca and Shiki’s a few times. Does this mean anything or is this a mistake?
As a general rule, I read these chapters three times to do this. The first through, Shiki getting beaten up by the other robots was pretty impactful. Now, all I can think of is this. What’s wrong with me?
And in seven pages, Rebecca and Shiki have a better foundation to form a romantic relationship than Nalu in chapter 1. In this essay, I will-
Oh hi, Happy. Guess you were asleep for most of the past few pages.
I should talk about the fight, but I can’t help but think about how Rebecca’s wearing different clothes than the ones she had on before putting on her dress. I mean, we couldn’t get a good look at her pajamas, but that’s weird.
“Ether Gear... A Power from the Dark Ages“ I’m calling shenanigans. I don’t remember this being in Rave Master. (I MEAN IN TONE!)
“You don’t even have the courage to leave this island!!!!!” I’m mad that he’s not even that far off.
“Kill the humans!!“ Oh, and Happy gets to live?
Every time I look at the Sakura Cosmos panels, I just feel so much good. We’ve seen Mashima handle fantasy in a few different ways. Now it’s time to see him handle space stories.
What many people might call a needlessly painful set of experiences, I like to call a Mashima backstory.
Something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Michael yet.
Shiki wanting to break the window is quite a fun moment.
And that’s chapter 1. Man, that took too long. All jokes aside, this was really fun to do again and it feels great to be reading another Mashima work as it comes out. Let’s see how long this lasts.
