i’m curious, do you guys have a favorite volume of kagurabachi so far?
i think mine is vol 5! i absolutely love the rakuzaichi arc and a lot of my favorite parts occur within this one, including its downfall. we learn a lot about kyora’s character during these chapters and getting to see chihiro, hakuri, and hiyuki team up was so awesome (i would not want to get on their bad side). the displays of hakuri’s power and how he and chihiro learn to use them together so quickly is so exciting, and of course i really love the scene where hakuri threatens hiyuki with leaving her in his storehouse forever if she hurts chihiro. chihiro’s battle with kyora after he unleashes the shinuichi was also INSANE. i love the element of mystery surrounding the shinuchi, how even chihiro struggles to navigate it due to kunishige’s reluctance to share the information with him at such a young age. the devastating power it displays without even being unsheathed is just so fascinating. the art surrounding the shinuchi is also so beautiful!! i love the contrast between that deadly power and its beautiful flower filled imagery. the scene where hakuri and chihiro wake up at the exact same time after the battle’s over and hiyuki, tafuku, shiba, and char are playing video games in their room waiting for them to wake up also never fails to move me. i love that small little domestic scene so much they deserve that kind of peace. the tafuku x hakuri fist bump after hiyuki vouches for chihiro is another notable mention for me lol.
i loveee the development of hakuri’s powers that we get to see during this arc, the boy finally got his aura farming moment! that panel where he’s sitting on the stairs with explosions surrounding him after he transports the kyora’s grenades away from chihiro and into the audience is probably still my fav of him it is so good…plus his instant understanding of what chihiro meant for him to do after slicing them all in half and imbuing them with his spirit energy..i love how well they’re able to understand each other despite only knowing each other for a few days. him being the first sazanami to possess both forms of sorcery since the first patriarch is soo important and the fact that he has zero experience using either before this battle make everything that much more impressive. the moment he creates a projection of chihiro within the storehouse in order to trick kyora is a big one for me because i believe its noted/inferred that he recognizes kyora’s strength with some shock before this while he is not only fighting chihiro and projecting himself onto the stage, continuing the auction, but also defending the stage all on his own without breaking a sweat. his determination to never let someone die on his watch again and to help chihiro protect his father’s legacy never waivers even as he is clearly pushing himself and his newfound powers too far.
i like that a big part of hakuri’s power development stems from the need to be useful to those around him and also his strong desire to help the innocent lives his family has claimed as their own. it says a lot about his character especially since this battle is against his own father. i love how strong his will is despite how many times he’s been (physically and mentally) pushed down by his father and siblings. he pushes himself past his limits time and time again for the sake of others and although these self-sacrificial actions are admirable, i need him to learn his worth as a human is just as important as his worth as a sorcerer.
does he know how cool he is i need to tell him how cool he is
the exploration of kyora’s character in this volume is fascinating. the way he’s more upset by it’s continuation being threatened than the tou being defeated and tenri even being killed really puts into perspective just how far the sazanami are willing to go in order to protect the rakuzaichi. yura’s unwavering faith in the fact that kyora will unleash the shinuchi in order to protect the auction also backs this up. his dedication to his role as patriarch and head of the clan greatly surpassing that of his role as a father is one of the most defining parts of his character and although we already knew that from his treatment of hakuri thus far, it’s interesting to get a glimpse of his priorities from his own perspective. kyora’s flashback of a younger hakuri telling him he’ll become a leader who will surpass him after witnessing him displaying the power his family was so wholeheartedly convinced he didn’t have was a big moment for me. this being followed a bit later by a flashback of his late wife telling him she wished he’d give up on the rakuzaichi and maybe if he had he wouldn’t have become such a bad person and how he is confused why he’s thinking of this and recalling such a domestic and old scene of his family now was so interesting to read. this spurring the realization that chihiro was right when he told him “your best would have been believing in hakuri” is so impactful because despite his disdain for his father, hakuri still wanted his approval, and he finally got it as he burnt their family’s legacy to the ground. the timing of the realization that he didn’t fail due to lack of dedication to the rakuzaichi but instead failed as a father to hakuri following the flashback of his wife is truly fascinating.
everything surrounding the shinuichi is so interesting, i love the element of fear that surrounds it due to how little anyone knows about it (and of course the ominous presence of soga). the power kyora is able to unleash from it it in front of the audience at the rakuzaichi is a true spectacle and getting to see the different forms the spirit energy within the blade takes was one of the most notable scenes in the early volumes for me. the way a field of deadly flowers bloom in its presence and the art we get of that are genuinely some of my favorite panels. the giant butterfly, the spider, the dragonfly, and the centipede are still some of my favorite displays of manifested spirit energy. the centipede in particular stands out a lot to me, and i like that it becomes something they reference throughout the series afterwards. the battle between kyora and the shinuchi/soga himself that goes on inside kyora’s head is such a good depiction of the true horrors the blade and its wielder are capable of, i really liked that aspect of the unleashing as well. i feel like it parallels the true nature of the datenseki and its raw effects on sorcerers who try to handle it outside of the enchanted blade form as well. i’m gonna include some panels of these attacks in addition to that kyora/shinuchi panel because its one of my favorites in the whole series. its so beautiful i remember just staring at it for a while when reading for the first time.
i like the subtle exploration/development of hiyuki’s character through her conversations with tafuku and interactions with chihiro throughout this volume as well. the way she is so deadset on killing chihiro in the beginning, claiming she will definitely kill him the next time she sees him, but instead ends up protecting him and helping him fight kyora. i love her willingness to fight for what she believes despite her position and how she isn’t afraid to criticize the kamunabi, saying they lack grit while she thanks chihiro, hakuri, and shiba for their help protecting the innocent people involved in the rakuzaichi. The way she ends up vouching for and defending both hakuri and chihiro during their meeting with the kamunabi too like awwww they grew on u huh <333 i love hiyuki’s character a lot i hope we get to see more of her soon.
i didn’t expect for this to get so long but i just really love this volume… this series as a whole is genuinely so interesting and watching the story unfold in real time has been so exciting for me. i just discovered kagurabachi a little over a month ago but it has easily become one of my favorite series ever and getting to interact with others who feel the same way every release week is so much fun. i can’t wait to see what future arcs have in store for us. also, if you read this far and are interested in sharing your favorite volume/moments, tell me your fav character(s) too! hakuri captured my heart immediately… i love him. so much. i love chihiro, shiba, hiyuki, iori, and uruha a lot too, there are so many compelling characters in this series it’s hard to narrow them down!
