#hnk chapter 98

[alakyuu]

"Goodbye"

[roserocksrapidly]

Just thinking about this :')

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 99 Thoughts: Chasing Unrealized Wishes

Hello everyone. I hope you are doing alright. These past few months have been strenuous in many parts of the world and I hope you are all doing alright and staying safe. 

To be honest, I didn’t expect to see the latest chapter of Houseki no Kuni so soon. I thought it wouldn’t be until December that we’d see another chapter, but this was an interesting surprise to see today.

I just finished reading the chapter and I’m going to be honest with you: I think I liked it more than I thought I would. It’s funny because not much happened in this chapter; it was mainly dialogue between Phos and the new rock lifeform. But the revelations that Phos made through this simple conversation was what really did it for me. I’ll try to elaborate on this a little more.

I must also say, after what happened in the last chapter, Ms. Ichikawa has once again did a good job subverting my expectations when it comes to her story telling. Whether it’s a good subversion or not... that’s up to you. For now, I’m currently leaning on it being “good.” I’ll also talk about this a little in this post. 

Anyways, this post will be much shorter than my long posts because despite me liking the chapter (for the most part, I didn’t have much to talk about here. Sorry that it won’t be as in-depth like I normally write them. This may change in time, so I’ll add more to this post some time later if I make new revelations. For now, I hope this is good enough.

As always, please feel free to share your thoughts. Here we go!

Phos: I will never be satisfied

There are many things I liked about this interaction, but the following pages are the ones I want to focus on. Here’s Phos, who’s offering the new rock all things they believed they needed to thrive in this new world. Limbs, so the new rock can move at their own convenience. Eyes and ears, so they see and hear the world around them.

But the rock didn’t need those things. The rock is content with what they had and didn’t have any desire for more. The rock knows what it is and is aware of it’s imperfections and limitations, but that doesn’t matter to it. They’re happy the way they are.

An exact opposite to Phos, and Phos realizes this. 

And it’s here that Phos makes these realizations: They never really realized what they really wanted and why. And because of that, Phos was never going to feel fulfilled, no matter what they gained or sacrificed. They were driven by their knowledge and their ever evolving desires, but they all came at great costs to them and everyone around them. They could have turned back at any point, but they didn’t. They kept pushing and pushing, even when it meant destroying themselves and everything they once knew. Yes, it was all orchestrated by Aechmea, but Phos still kept the momentum, even when they knew they were being used and manipulated. It didn’t matter to Phos because to them, they were making progress towards something they thought they wanted, even though that “something” never truly comes to fruition in the way Phos originally expects. 

So because they never really figured out what they wanted, Phos was never going to be satisfied with anything, no matter what they’d do. They always strived for more and even when they thought it was enough, it was never enough. One can even say that while some of Phos’s past actions had selfless intentions, they are also driven by lowkey, insatiate selfishness for an unmaterialized and intangible goal.  This endless pursuit costed everything, and now Phos has nothing left. Part of me thinks that’s what Phos also realized here.

Now, I can see how some fans may feel conflicted about this revelation. I haven’t seen the posts yet, but I can imagine some seeing this as Ms. Ichikawa backtracking the character development Phos had until that point and may even see the author somewhat condemning Phos in some way. For those of you who feel this way or don’t agree with what was said in the chapter or my post, please feel free to share. 

(And please let me know if I’m reaching; I was trying to think of the possible reasons why someone may not agree with what transpired in the chapter and I could be overthinking here)

Regardless of what fans may think of this chapter, this is a very bold admission for Phos to make. But I think this revelation needed to happen. Heck, this conversation as a whole needed to happen for Phos because they needed to hear this new point of view, especially from someone/something who was not directly part of the past events. Why? Because even after the dust had settled and the original source of Phos’s suffering is no longer there, I don’t think Phos would have ever realized they were in yet another never ending cycle of personal suffering.

Sometimes a complete outsider’s perspective is all one needs to get the big picture and helps one appreciate the little things that were once overlooked. And what a better option to get that perspective from than a specimen who is both similar and nothing like you. This interaction, even though it ends with Phos having a bittersweet mentality about everything, I think this interaction was lovely and helped with their character development in more ways than one. I’m sure it’ll care on to the next chapter. Speaking of next chapter...

Edit (I wanted to quickly add this after rereading the end of the chapter): I was thinking about Phos and the rock’s comments about the white dwarf star and I needed to double check my research on the lifespan of stars. A white dwarf is one of the final stages a star can go through when it depletes its fuel. If that dwarf is the original sun, that means it’s going to “die” and become a black star. I wonder if this little tidbit is intended to be foreshadowing for what will happen to the Earth and to add onto the many symbolisms of this story. Please let me know what you think!

The Story From Here On Out: What happens now?

It’s funny how a few predictions I and several others had made in the past have somewhat come true in this chapter, though clearly not in the way I’d expected:

Phos being the one left behind in some way

Phos finding new gems/ specimens and starting a new society

Phos taking over Adamant’s old position in more ways than one

Phos will have a bittersweet end to their story (Still to early to call but everything is leading to this direction)

After the last chapter, I didn’t think anything of these old predictions to happen because honestly, I wasn’t sure if Phos was even going to still exist after their prayer with how it all looked. I’m glad and sad that Phos still existed afterwards. But now the question is... what happens now?

Will Phos continue to find other rock or inorganic life forms to create a society with? Or will they let them just exist in their own way, just like their new rock companion? And will Phos just continue to exist without any reason or goal anymore? Who knows.

But I think now that the remaining human remnants are gone and Phos no longer has direct connections to them, Phos will now properly be able to decompress and reflect. This will not be like the times before where Phos was completely alone for thousands of years or buried alive or left in a coma. This time, Phos isn’t alone and is with a being who offers them a much needed fresh perspective. I mean, this simple conversation was able to help Phos in a unique way. Maybe future conversations with this rock and any other species Phos comes across will help them more. They might be able to find a new happiness where they are now.

(Also, isn’t it funny how this rock lifeform that barely knows Phos showed more care to Phos than most of the past characters that grew up with Phos? I’m not surprised)

Wow. This story really went in directions I didn’t think they’d go in. I reread the first chapters of the series and yeah, if I were to go back in time and reread the story from start to this, I wouldn’t have predicted most if not all the events that happened. (BTW: The blackout out pages in this chapter were a very cleaver call back to the first chapter. Someone else made a post about it and I thank you for making the connection)

But beyond the small predictions I just made, I don’t know where else the story can go from here. And I can’t help but think it won’t go on for much longer. With how everything is paced and the fact that the 100 chapter will be released next month, I honestly think this story is going to end there. I know many people believe that it’ll end on chapter 108 because that number is relevant in Buddhism and maybe they’re right. But I just wonder... what else could happen? Despite the many loose ends that have been mentioned by myself and many others, I don’t think they can be resolved now. Maybe Ms. Ichikawa has another plot twist up her sleeve somehow. I don’t know. I’m not going to think too hard about this right now.

But one thing’s for certain though; this crazy ride of a story is almost over and I’m still sticking to it to the very end because I need to see how it all ends. There are still many things I feel iffy about when it comes to some of Ms. Ichikawa’s decisions with this story, including characterization and pacing. But despite my criticisms, I still enjoy this story and even if the ending doesn’t meet my expectations, I know I won’t regret staying with it to the end. I know not everyone feels the same way, but to each their own.

Sorry that this post isn’t as insightful as my past posts. Maybe I’ll come up with a follow up post later after having more time to think about it. Anyways, thank you for reading and please feel free to share your thought! Stay safe!

[mir-mape]

/hnk ch 98 spoilers (my thoughts on it, for anyone interested)

I know people seem to be very discontent with this chapter but, for some reason, I feel quite alright with it. It was predictable, Phos didn't get justice for themselves, and I understand where everyone complaining about this is coming from because I also think that.

And yet, ch 98 feels cathartic in a way. It feels like the natural conclusion to the story, though it's true that we still have some chapters left to go so we'll see. But for now, I think this is the only way left Phos could be able to find peace.

They tried attacking the people who hurt them already, and it didn't work. They didn't have any type of closure after that.

If they had decided to refuse to pray and get revenge, as quite a few fans wanted (I also wanted that at some point tbh), the story really couldn't finish. We wouldn't be achieving any closure. Because Phos would still be alone and drowning in their pain, and the rest would be eternally trapped there. The cycle would just be repeating itself. To be fair, during the hiatus, that's how I thought the manga would go: Phos taking the place of Kongo and the story repeating itself.

This way, even if it's extremely bittersweet, even if it's extremely unfair because Phos really didn't deserve all of that, is the only way the story could actually be over.

They're inmortal beings with eternally lasting mistakes. I don't even know if Phos really forgave them; that isn't exactly what I feel happened, even though that's what probably did happen. Personally, I think they're also tired of fighting and just want to get it over with— They've always been alone, so they may as well be alone and in peace.

[justmenoworries]

HnK Chapter 98 Spoilers

Hmmm, I’m not quite convinced this is it.

There was so much build-up, I’m not willing to believe the story ends on such an anti-climactic note.

I was just thinking about how a lot of hnk has been revolving around characters wanting something and then getting it, but in a very Monkey’s Paw sort of way.

Phos wanted to get stronger and they did, but they were literally and figuratively broken in the process.

Phos wanted to matter and now they do, but in a way that benefits everyone but them.

Cairngorm wanted to be their own person and they got to be that, at the cost of Ghost. They also lost their identity pretty quickly again in favor of becoming Aechmea’s Moon Princess.

Rutile wanted Padparadscha repaired and they were, but not by Rutile.

And now the Lunarians, the new Gems and the new Admirabilis all want Phos to pray.

And it looks like they will.

But I just wonder if Phos’ prayer will really be all the Lunarians imagined it to be - or if the Monkey’s Paw’s finger will curl again and we’re about to witness the most delicious instance of laser-guided karma in manga-history.

[aspirationatwork]

I really didn't think that Phos was going to pray, I thought that ending was too "easy" for Ichikawa to go for

Maybe she'll have one last twist for us.....

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 98 Thoughts: In the eyes of the beholder....

Sorry for the long delay. I had a lot of important life stuff going on that needed my attention, so writing my thoughts on the newest chapter was a last priority. I actually wrote most of this post last month but things kept on popping up so I had to delay finishing this even more. Again, sorry for the delay. With that being said... Wow. Both to the chapter and the fandom’s initial reactions.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the fandom have such varying opinions about what happened in a new chapter. The main opinions I’ve seen the most thus far are fans not liking how the story progressed nor do they like the messages Ms. Ichikawa is seemingly projecting through Phos. It’s understandable why these fans feel this way. It’s also understandable why there are also fans who love the chapter and/or like Ms. Ichikawa’s interpretive message. It’s clear that this is one of those special chapters that are impacted by personal beliefs and interpretations. An “in the eyes of the beholder” chapter that doesn’t offer a clear cut answer for whether what happened in the chapter was good, bad, right, or wrong. To me, this is an interesting way of storytelling, though I can understand why this can be frustrating to some. I’ll try to talk about this further in this post.

The first thing I want to talk about is Phos, their prayer, and what I think it means.

BTW: This post is based on my own initial reaction to the chapter and everything that transpired in the fandom. Some thoughts I had hear may be different now after seeing some of the other posters’ thought and I’ll make sure to add them.

Phos’s prayer: Finally Free

This was the action many fans were hoping Phos wouldn’t do as a form of defiance again Aechmea and the others. And even in this chapter, Phos verbalized their anguish and desire for retribution, which I’m sure some of the fans would have liked to see. But in the end, that’s not what Phos did. They wished to join everyone in turning into nothingness and prayed.

I can understand why people are upset with the chapter. I’ll go more into this in the next section but I just wanted to mention how I’ve already seen a few posts talking about how upset they were with this chapter and the events leading to it, and I won’t say that what they are feeling is invalid. It’s a reasonable reaction.

For me, I will admit that part of me was not entirely pleased at first. Even though I had a feeling this was going to be the direction that it was going to go, I part of me did want to see Phos defy Aechmea and deny the prayer.

But I also realize that doing that wouldn’t solve anything. Phos and everyone else have been in varying states of limbo throughout the course of the story, and refusing the prayer would put everyone in another state of suffering limbo. Even if refusing prayer prevented everyone else from being free, as a form of retaliation, it would have prolonged Phos’s own suffering even longer and they’ve already suffered enough. Phos has had enough of that.

No more of that.

They are truly done with everything.

No more sadness, anger, hatred, or anything...

They don’t care.

Phos is choosing to let go.

They are choosing to be free. Of everything.

After the initial shock, Phos’s actions made more sense to me. Even if it means that Phos is giving Aechmea and the others what they want, this was Phos’s way out. Which leads me to my very hot take...

Forgiveness Vs Just Letting Go (Hot take!!)

I don’t see Phos’s final act as a show of “forgiveness”, “mercy,” or “being the bigger person” for the others, or at least not fully. This action feels like...some form of relief for Phos. It reminds me of this mentality of forgiving a wrongdoer, even though that person may have seriously hurt you. Some people do this as a way of showing kindness to the wrongdoer as part of their religious or personal beliefs. To take the moral high ground essentially. But I know some do it more so for themselves rather than the other person. The action of forgiveness in the later case, is a way of absolving oneself from the connection they would have to the wrongdoer. An action that frees oneself from eternalized torment that is intended or unintended by the other party. Affectively breaking the chains built by often justifiable anger and resentment.

To me, this was one of the main reasons why Phos chose to pray. By praying, Phos finally freeing themselves from the cycle of suffering by severing their tie to everyone and everything. Phos is letting go of all of the pain and hatred that once drove their actions. Phos is letting go of the negativity that they once harbored towards others and themselves. They prayed for the others so they can be free. Yes, it means that Aechmea got what he wanted in the end, but that doesn’t matter to Phos anymore. They don’t care.

This form of “forgiveness” is one that I’m very familiar with and its a mentality that I sometimes find myself conflicted with, especially if the forgiver ends up getting hurt more as a result. I can understand why some people choose to forgive for this reason, though there are circumstances where I can’t really agree with their logic. But in the end, it’s up to personal views on the concept of forgiveness.

I’m wondering if this belief is also connected to Buddhism teachings, but since I don’t know enough about this, I won’t go into it much further and leave it to people who know more than I.

Long story short for this section, I’m essentially saying that while Phos did do the prayer, I think Phos did it more so for themselves than everyone else. Yes, Phos’s actions show that they’ve taken the moral high ground but as far as I can see, that’s not their motivation. They are freeing themselves from this cycle of pain and hatred towards others and themselves.

Perhaps this action is Phos’s way of ending the cycle. "The Burning the bridge” request from the nihilistic Professor during her last moments. Maybe it’s up to interpretation. Speaking of which...

Good or Bad Story Telling?: A Fandom Conflicted

When I first saw the leaks, I had the feeling that fans weren’t going to be happy. After several days since the translation, this was proven correct. Like I said at the top of this post, I totally understand. And I can even understand why some fans are discrediting Ms. Ichikawa for how she progressed her story. Now, while I can still understand these feelings, I can’t. Not yet anyway.

One thing that I found interesting was how I saw a few posts from people still hoping Phos would still seek revenge against everyone after everything they went through. And yeah, I can see the appeal. It sounds nice and poetic. 

But... I think it’s been made clear that this isn’t the type of story Ms. Ichikawa intended to convey. From what I can see, Ichikawa showed how that the violent type of vengeance can only go so far and while the feeling it would bring to Phos/audience feels good and cathartic... it’s only temporary and it doesn’t solve anything.

So as satisfying as it would been to see Phos cause some kind of damage to Aechmea or the other human remnants, this would just continue to feed into the cycle of pain and self-hatred Phos was in and it wouldn’t end. Yes, the others would have suffered to an extent, but would it have been worth it if it meant Phos’s suffering had to continue? To me, that would have been pointless. I understand if you don’t agree with this sentiment; this is just how I’m trying to rationalize this part of the story. I could be completely wrong and I’d love to hear your thoughts about this.

Other than that, the dissatisfaction many fans have felt is very apparent. Again, their reasons and feelings are valid, including how some felt that the other characters were getting rewarded thanks to Phos’s sacrifice and mistreatment. But what did surprise me was how there were a good number of fans who loved the chapter! They too had very good reasons for doing so. Like I said at the top, seeing these differing opinions fascinated me as much as the chapter itself did.

I think this chapter, as well as the overall direction the story has taken, just shows how atypical this author is when it comes to her story-telling. This is not a typical action or “shounen/shoujo” story where things are clear black and white and the hero gets the best imagined ending. From start to finish, this story was filled with characters in varying shades of gray and all have committed acts that can easily change how the reader sees them; though I think many can agree that Aechmea belongs on the far dark side. It really shows how Ms. Ichikawa does a pretty good job creating a divisive story, which can be very difficult to do and I commend her for that at least. 

HOWEVER, this positive view of her storytelling style greatly depends if this was her intention or not. Since it seems that the next update may be the last, I want to reserve my true final judgement by then and since it looks like it’ll be a while until then, I have plenty of time to really think about it.

Side Note: I also remember seeing a few posts from fans who were in complete denial about what happened and were either claiming it was a dream sequence or were holding hope that the author was going to do another twist that would lead to Phos taking vengeance again. Sorry guys... it did happen. But if by some weird chance this chapter was a dream...then I would rethink Ms. Ichikawa’s writing, because that would be straight out cop out. I’d be so disappointed if this happens.

Now, despite my fascination of this chapter and the fandom’s split response to it, there are some things that weren’t clear that did bug me...

Personal Criticisms and Inquiries

While I’m with the few people who don’t hate this chapter and story’s direction in general, there are still some things that are not addressed that leave me not satisfied. If anyone has answers to these or their own interpretation of an answer, please feel free to comment because I would love to hear them.

Adamant’s and Aechmea’s so-called “Gift” for Phos: 

What exactly was Aechmea's and Adamant’s solution to Euclase’ request in chapter 96? Was it having everyone appear to them in their enlightened form?

Everyone’s knowledge of what’s happening: 

Was everyone aware of why they were there? I know Aechmea, Adamant, and a few of the gems were aware. But what about everyone else, including the Admirabilis? Did they know that they were going to Phos so that they could pray for them? It seemed like this is the case but part of me isn’t sure...

Adamant: Despite the rollercoaster of conflicting emotions Ms. Ichikawa has made me go through when it came to this character, I still wanted to believe in him. Believe that he had something planned that even Aechmea couldn’t predict. But I’m left asking myself...what was it?

Was there a plan? Was Adamant following through the Professors last command? Was what transpired in this chapter part of the plan? Or...was all of this wishful thinking? I still don’t know.

Lastly, I’ve stated in previous posts how I felt the pacing in these last few chapters felt oddly fast. Some of you gave your opinions on what I wrote about this and you guys made some solid arguments. After reading this chapter, I guess I don’t feel like it’s as rushed anymore, but it seems clear to me that Ms. Ichikawa is about ready to end this story.

How will this all end?

I have no clue. After everything that we’ve seen thus far, I can’t fathom how this story will end. And you know what? I’m glad. Surprise me in a good way. 

I’m positive many fans have mentally checked out of the story now because of this latest chapter and I can’t blame them. But regardless, I said I was going to stick to it till the bitter end and I fully intend on doing so. Because despite my personal grievances with the story and even the author, I still enjoyed it a lot. And I enjoyed being in the fandom, even when I didn’t agree with the majority when it came to the story and characters.

I want to see how this ends, regardless if it ends beautifully or crashes and burns. 

And unlike before, I’m no longer worried about what’s to come.

Lay it in me, Ms. Ichikawa. You monster.

[king-paimon]

Hnk Chapter 98 Leak: I can hear a storm coming...

Hmmm.... Once again, I saw some of the leaks for the newest chapter. I didn’t read all of the rough translations, so I don’t know everything that is being said.

But based off what I saw...

Well. 

Without spoiling, it looks like one of the scenarios that I brought up in my previous posts might be coming true. It’s the one I expected, but sadly not the one I hoped for. Can’t say if it’s good or not just yet, though it’s likely to lean towards.. “not good.”

But I know one thing’s for certain.

There are going to be a lot of mad/sad/disappointed fans once it’s out.