OPM Manga Chapter 225 Review
Whew, Spring is sprung, Sunday chores are done, let's catch up on some reviews! What have the last two months brought?
Summary: the final(ish) bit of the Neo Leaders' Debut
225 begins precisely where 224 leaves off -- no great wonder as chapters 223 through 225 are part of a single chapter -- and we open with monster parts flying everywhere as Metal Bat splatters the ex-monster with a mighty swing of his bat. That's the last of the monsters and Metal Bat's team has only been able to stand and gawp. Ah well, some of them muse, at least it's made for an easy outing.
One of them has received a phone call and informs Metal Bat that there's another Neo Hero in trouble. Metal Bat runs off to help, leaving his team far behind. He arrives at the reported trouble spot to find it deserted... except for a pair of figures carrying off the limp bodies of the Neo Heroes Zaedats and Infelsinave. This puzzles Metal Bat greatly. What are the security guards doing here. Did they save those guys?
Elsewhere, yet another Neo Leader is not having a great time. Blue's team lies badly injured around him. He's the last one standing as he faces the monster leading its horde of underlings, an over-ambitious crab calling itself Shell King.
He springs into the air, aiming to punch through the monster's enlarged left claw, only to realise that its armour is far tougher than he imagined. Undaunted, Blue quickly changes his fist to a knife hand to cut that claw clean off.
As the monster reels in pain, he charges up a giant fist and with it blows away both the monster and its underlings, leaving only inedible seafood scattered in the streets around.
Blue calls McCoy to tell him that the monster had been eliminated and to send medical help to the team. McCoy acknowledges the information and asks Blue what he makes of real monsters. Blue muses that real monsters are far more varied in strength and ability than simulations would suggest and that victory is not guaranteed, no matter what disaster rating is stuck on the monster. He further thinks that carelessness is very costly... but is interrupted by an explosion in the distance. There's yet another monster attack, and this time, the creature appears to be huge.
Blue runs off, heedless of McCoy's protests about his suit not being fully charged.
Meta: 6/10 Points
Well, if anyone in the OPM world doesn't know about the Neo Heroes now, it'll be be because they're in intensive care or solitary confinement. With permission to bear and use weapons in public granted a few days ago (chapter 217), they have lost no time in introducing themselves to the world in the biggest possible way: saving people from monsters.
It hasn't all gone to plan and this update does brilliantly in apposing two young (Metal Bat is 17, Blue is 16) heroes and showing the effect of their experiences. Metal Bat, for all his flashiness, has kept his team safe first and foremost -- maybe too safe as they've not had enough to do. Blue has just let them run ahead and has been desperately playing catch up once they've been injured.
Well, experience teaches even fools, and Blue is no fool. He's quickly understanding what we've seen other heroes realise the hard way over 200+ chapters: that disaster levels are more a suggestion than a declaration and cannot be relied on to tell you how tough a monster actually will be to beat. He's also realised how horrifically fast things can go wrong if you're even a little careless. I wonder how he'll like regenerating monsters and those that change their forms, ah...
Something to note that is going to become very relevant very soon: McCoy is STILL MOONLIGHTING IN THE HERO ASSOCIATION.
The slimy bastard can't even be bothered to quit. He's that confident that he'll be able to get away with his schemes.
No, I haven't forgotten about the two stricken Neo Leaders carried off on the qt away from TV cameras. Be sure that neither has Metal Bat.
More to talk about. In another chapter.
