kurita's such a sweetheart, they should have made a circle (like the idiots they are <3) and hug him with all the risks and toss the bubble wrap <3; Marco's facial expressions are so extreme, they're so funny, I don't want to sympathize for the guy but those faces just win me over XD; Isn't kisaragi doing what monta did with sakuraba before? and tetsuma too? reaching for the body part and use that arm, leg, hand whatever to obtain something else?
I guess these two volumes are about maturity(?) and also about the bridge we need to have, rightfully and logically, to connect the path they did until now, the match-by-match training, settling in their shoes, falling into crises only to exploit and jump out of them strengthened, shaping their skills, to almost reaching the Christmas bowl + this other aspect of the story where there's more awareness among them? Like, one by one, in their own role, they got their spotlight up to now and then, by the end of each match they gather together and, of course, they bond, the team is stronger. But here, I feel like given what happens to hiruma - while being sad & dramatic, it's useful and planned because it must have happened sooner or later for hiruma to not be on the field - they're forced to switch, even if by a little only, their perspective on their own game as a group, first by the amount of thoughts and worries about hiruma's condition, second by their trust in Sena and, at the same time, increasing the one in their own abilities. Which is totally normal, the puppeteer is suddenly gone, so what now? Giving up was of course out of question, not deimon style, yet that's a big hole to fill. But they're filling it together (like first baby steps for this next phase). I guess for Sena is particularly important what's going to happen after this match in terms of confidence and his own personality. Even here, when he suggests stuff and we see him serious then shaking and asking for approval, I feel like we don't actually believe it - as readers, it feels forced, like he needs to be toned down cause it's still too early to show full confident Sena. XD (He can do it, just misses all the info and knowledge that can clearly gain from now on). Will they explicitly discuss Kisaragi's sacrifice? That was pretty shocking. Not if it was merely motivated by their winning desire (which is there) but because it gets mixed with that built-up they made of faith-like-devotion towards "The strength"/Gaou and, yeah, a bit disturbing for me. Is it the only recurring theme of Hakushuu? I feel this concept put on a side Gaou's personal set of rules which are a bit different(?), and squeezed them on a tighter and more hidden angle making us forget about them while instead amplifying the rawness of "Strength, the idol" XD But in ch. 268 about Marco's renewed resolution Gaou looked indeed no more than some brute guy. Idk, they'll go with it even for these last 5 minutes so maybe I just want to see something that's not there at all. Oh! The Teikoku gakuen! Another thing I totally forgot.
My final thought is just that this game is definitely on a more psychological level (for me and for them XD) as Banba said right from the start.
(to be honest, I thought yuki would take hiruma's place because he might have had an overall view of game plays and schemes but when doburoku actually said it twice that he wouldn't have the stamina, I shut my mind off XD)
