Synopsis: A quick rundown goes over the 42nd Final Debarkation Exam that Velou and his fellow Hunter applicants must pass – in a manner similar to the game 'Cops and Robbers', they must avoid being captured by the 'cops' Grimm and Debonair, and if they're able to not be in 'jail' at the end of two hours, they pass. They're allowed to use whatever tools or weapons they wish, though killing is forbidden. Debonair, who dumps water on herself to cool down after fighting the giant manta ray, further adds that if you do end up arrested, a free robber can tag you to set you free. She also says that she and Grimm won't leave the roof for the first five minutes, giving them a head start to run and hide as needed. The applicants wonder how in the heck they're supposed to get away from someone as strong as her, and she says she can practically hear the gears turning in their heads. She declares a start to the exam, and many of the entrants, including Tylty and Mylty, begin running. Six applicants, including Velou and Bonkers, stay where they were standing however, surprising Grimm and the fleeing applicants. Velou says that running right now is a bad idea, to which the others remaining agree. He says there's something contradictory about the test, and just running away for two hours probably won't work, so he wants to confirm something if he can. Tylty shouts back that it won't matter what he confirms if he gets arrested, and Velou asks him to come free him if he does, to which Tylty objects that there's nothing in it for him. Merrio says there is however, as if Velou has the same idea as he does, they might all be able to pass. Debonair is impressed by their thinking, but Velou says they're not sure yet, so Mylty and Tylty should run if that's what they think is best. Merrio asks Bonkers if he's thinking the same thing as he and Velou, and Bonkers agrees that it's probably 'something like that'. One of the other applicants, a large robed woman named Migael Gagia, tackles Velou in a hug and praises him for having so much courage and facing this test so bravely, even after going through all of the harsh training at such a young age. She proclaims that someone will surely rescue them, and that God will grace them all with divine protection. As Velou introduces himself and tries to get free from her hug, the other applicants at their sides react in various ways, and Mylty and Tylty decide to run after all. Debonair says that she can tell the six applicants that stayed are planning something, but she won't ask them what: she'd rather they show her what it is through action. She tells them they still have three minutes left before her and Grimm begin their attack, so they can use that time for a strategy meeting if they'd like. Velou thanks her, and Grimm accuses Debonair of spoiling them. Debonair says that they're thinking for themselves and making decisions based on those choices, which is harder than it sounds. The test is designed to see what they can do, so she wants to let them do just that. One of the applicants, a girl named Porschen “The Juggler”, says they need to make their plan quickly while they still have time, cutting off Merrio as he tries to introduce himself. Velou says that this test has felt off to him from the very start. It's supposed to test their ability to become Hunters, but the requirement is not getting caught, as if they were prey themselves. As such, he thinks there has to be something else going on with the exam. As such, what they really have to do is... The three minutes pass just as Velou volunteers himself to do 'that part', as it was his idea after all, and Debonair announces that they're about to get started. Velou says that he knows there's still some stuff they couldn't figure out, but asks everyone to go along with the basic ist of it all. Debonair and Grimm move out, with both women looking incredibly imposing especially Grimm who says this will be a 'massacre'. One of the six applicants, a man named Nulo Xao, says he'll occupy the instructor, while Migael and Porschen say they'll all give it their best shot. Xao takes a secret elixir he calls Liufeng Xiang, which allows him to yell and produce a shockwave of wind that blows the approaching Debonair back. Porschen then uses a long wire and her flying circus wire arts to ensnare both Debonair and Grimm, pinning the former's arms against her body while grabbing the latter by her wrists. Bonkers takes the initiative to jump in and aim a powerful punch at Grimm, but Grimm and Debonair ask them all I they really thought a dinky rope would stop them. As Debonair begins to burn through the wire, Grimm delivers a powerful knee into Bonkers' armored chest. He manages to take the blow, but says that they're wrong: They didn't think this would stop them at all, as Velou goes on the attack. Flashing back to the three minutes that the applicants were making a plan, Velou says that what they really have to do is make it so that they can't be arrested. Bonkers thinks that's obvious but the real question is how. Porschen and Migael both agree that it has to be 'that', annoying Bonkers who doesn't quite get it yet. Velou says it's the special rule they tacked onto this test, and Merrio says it was likely added so that they would catch the contradiction – either that or it's a trap. He explains that a normal game of cops and robbers would never make for a proper test due to how much better the two Hunters are, so they added a weakness expecting the applicants to find and exploit it. Merrio thinks their best bet is to do just that while planning for a way to counter the Hunters' response to said attack. Velou says that if they handle this like any other fight, they have very little chance of winning, but they all have reasons why they need to become Hunters. Back in the present, Porschen notes that the rope was just a distraction, as she counts five sets of handcuffs, saying that as they thought, the Hunters have a way of getting more. The plan: go after the handcuffs! As Migael and Xao rush Debonair and Debonair's sights set on Porschen, Velou reaches out for the handcuffs. Review: This chapter managed to go in ways I expected, while also going in ways I didn't at the same time. We were introduced to the concept of Cops and Robbers, complete with handcuffs, as a test last chapter, and at that time, I thought the deal was going to be them realizing that they couldn't avoid getting caught and thus the loophole was about 'who's in jail at the end'. I even wondered if maybe Velou would pretend to put up a fight only to allow himself to be captured first so he could get a better look at the cell's interior, leading to him allowing everyone to escape right at the very last second. Instead, the crux of the test is the handcuffs, which I'm not entirely sure how to feel about. It's nice to be caught off guard and not know exactly where the story is going to go, but at the same time, it seems to be going for a more difficult setup than may have been warranted here, especially with the series being on the ropes right now. One can only hope this gamble will pay off in the end. Beyond that, the rest of the chapter is chiefly about introducing us to more new characters, and showing at least a little bit of what they can do, or at least what their personality is like. It's hard to say how many people will pass at this point in time, but I'd wager a guess that at least most, if not all, of the six participants that take part in Velou's plan are probably a shoe-in. The one's I'm not sure about are Tylty and Mylty, who do run instead, as well as a bald eye-patched man shown off in one panel who apparently also ran. Since they're not taking part in the big plan, they seem more expendable at the moment, but then again, Velou does say that if this plan works, they might all pass. If that happens, we could be seeing a fairly large size of new members for the guild, which could be both good and bad. A big part of the strength of series like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are the size of their supporting casts, but over time that also becomes a bit of a weakness. When you have too many characters milling about, it can be hard to fulfill the wishes of fans of any given character while also being true to the story. It can also make it easy to run out of character archetypes and start repeating yourself, something that will be really noticeable if all of the characters are still hanging around all of the time (something One Piece manages to sidestep fairly well by having much of it's background cast change from arc to arc, with only the main crew or other characters related to a major story continuing onward immediately). We can only hope the author has all of this in mind right now. It's really just the five characters (three of which are new) that remain alongside Velou and take center stage this time however, and almost certainly secure focus and a likelihood of their passing the exam. First up is Migael, a robed, religious woman, who's build certainly seems to fit right in with the likes of Grimm and Debonair. Hell, it's a wonder they don't pass her right then and there actually. Sadly, we don't get to see what she's capable of in this chapter, we only get a glimpse at her overbearing motherly and devout personality. If I had to wager a guess, I wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be a mage type character of some kind, not necessarily capable of magic – that could be something that's exclusive to witches in this world – but with charms and the like. Secondly, we're introduced to Nulo Xao, a man who seems to be a practitioner of Chinese herbal medicines and remedies, some of which can even be used in combat. We don't get a lot of his personality this go around sadly, so it'll be interesting to see more of what he's like as time goes on. Third and finally, we're introduced to Porschen and her wire abilities. She's probably the most evenly balanced of the new characters, as we get to see what she can do as well as a little bit of her personality. She looks like she might not be that much older than Velou, but she's already quite skilled and can control wires pretty handily, enough so that she manages to get the drop on two skilled Hunters. She also seem sto have a somewhat serious personality at least when it comes to getting things done, but the look on her face while in battle suggests she might have a battle-loving side as well, though probably not to the degree that Debonair does. Sadly, while the new characters are introduced, we still don't get a ton on what the characters introduced before-hand can do. Sure, Bonkers is a tank, but we don't really know how strong he is at combat yet. And Merrio? All we know about him is that he seems to be quite the intellectual, and he's afraid of leftovers. I was really hoping we might get to see more of what he's capable of this chapter, but with the exam still going on, we might get to see him, Bonkers, and Migael all take a little more part in the action next time around. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Chapter 10
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About the AuthorAspiring author and big anime/manga fan, just trying to do my best in the world. For more details, go to About Me. Archives
September 2022
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