Da Quinci Code

Isekai Tenseisha Koroshi – Cheat Slayer also known as, The Killer of the Reincarnated: Cheat Slayer.

Honestly, this was not a bad read; not good, not great just, not bad.

I am a devout connoisseur of the isekai genre (with Grimgar: Of  Fantasy and Ash being my favorite of the bracket) so when I heard that the author of Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler, Homura Kawamoto, was writing a parody isekai about some of the more prominent isekai protagonists I was all in.

Moreover, I was intrigued because this was essentially dead on arrival because of the outrage it caused.

In terms of the substance, there wasn’t really anything bad about it. It was a fairly straight forward chapter that established the world, the protagonist, his reason for his call to action, the antagonists of the manga, and the initial means for how he was to go about fighting the first villain.

If anything, I suppose the author didn’t develop a better reason for Lute, the protagonist, to start his quest for revenge outside of surviving a botched attempted murder on his person, his childhood friend being killed and raped in front of him, and a witch telling him that he could get revenge on said isekai characters.

Basically, there should have been some real seeds of vitriol planted in order for the revenge angle to sprout (as we’ve seen done tactfully better in Redo of Healer). 

Outside of that lack of preferred substance, in truth, I really don’t have much to complain and or gripe with because there is not really much to lament about. It seemed like a fairly solid idea that had decent promise of developing into something more fruitful. It really feels like it should have - at the least - gotten another chapter before the plug was pulled, especially when one takes into account Kawamoto’s writing style.

His strengths, at least when it came to Kakegurui, is tied to the dire situations the characters find themselves in, the certain set of rules or parameters chaining them there, and how said characters think, bluff, and maneuver their way around and or out of the situation. I can’t help but presume the same was to be executed in this manga, particularly when we have the parameter of how Lute believed that “it’s impossible to kill a reincarnate”.

Paradoxically, the biggest controversy of the magna is also it’s biggest appeal.

The isekai characters - collectively called the Rebels Against God - are candidly drawn as pastiches to main and supporting characters of other isekai works. The controversy came from the fact that both readers and the editorial department felt that depicting characters that looked so similar to those from other series as villains was problematic, as the respective creators of those works could see that use as denigrating.

Personally, I feel that this is a very poor excuse to cancel the magna because a pastiche/analogue of a character does not - in itself - denote that said user of the parody MEANS that they view said character negatively (I mean, just look at Venture Bros.)

The Rebels of God consist of:

Kilt, “The Dual Wielding Black Knight”. (Kirito of Reki Kawahara’s novel series Sword Art Online.);

Honda Yuya, “Looper” (Subaru Natsuki from Tappei Nagatsuki’s novel series Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World);

Flare, “The Fallen Goddess” (Aqua from Jitakukeibihei’s novel series KonoSuba);

Don Will Dead, “The Undead King” (Ainz Ooal Gown from Kugane Maruyama’s novel series Overlord);

Anastasia Melkva, “The Young Demon” (Tanya von Degurechaff from Carlo Zen’s novel series The Saga of Tanya the Evil);

Roro Sendiger, “The Named Slime”. (Rimuru Tempest from Fuse’s novel series That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime);

Imerda Pinata, “The Daughter Villainess” (Catarina Claes from Satoru Yamaguchi’s novel series My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!)

Yukiko Shijo, “Otherworld Restaurant”. (Aletta from Junpei Inuzuka’s novel series Restaurant to Another World) and finally,

Louis Crawford, “God’s Mistake”. (Shin Wolford from Tsuyoshi Yoshioka’s novel series Wise Man’s Grandchild)

As fate would have it, Lois Crawford (the analogue of Shin Wolford) kicks off the revenge plot but, his parodied manga is one of the few I have yet to read and or even be familiar with. Nonetheless, his snide, bloodlust, and scornful dismissiveness toward characters, particularly the other members of the Rebels Against God was the start of a jumping on point.

If anything, I wish Kawamoto would have brought more pastiche isekai characters such as:

Hajime Nagumo from Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest;

Diablo from How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord,

and Rudeus Greyrat from Jobless Reincarnation: I Will Seriously Try If I Go to Another World.

(Granted, Rifujin na Magonote, author of Mushoku Tensei, wrote on Twitter: “’Making characters appear who are recognizably borrowed from characters from other works, and then turning them into villains and making them do vile things’ ←This is crossing the line”, SO maybe it was good that Rudy sat this one out).


Ultimately, this is farewell Cheat Slayer… A great premise with some promise, and now I’m left pondering with what could have been… In summary, I feel cheated.

It seems the High Republic definitely secured its archetype when it comes to Jedi: female dual-wielder.

Granted, the dual-wielding aspect has been prominent for a while: Darth Maul, Asajj Ventress, Galen Marek, Ahsoka Tano, Prong Krell, Cal Kestis being the quickest ones that come to mind.

Nonetheless, it seems like High Republic is continuing the latest Star Wars trend of putting females at the forefront and giving them some the best tools in the Star Wars toy box; Keeve Trennis, Orla Jareni, and soon Lily Tora-Asi being the most recent examples and I thought I’d share my thoughts, opinions, and predictions about them.

Keeve Trennis

So far, I’ve had the most exposure with Trennis and character-wise she’s still lukewarm in my eyes. This is a bit disappointing because I’ve spent five issues with her and she continues to be outshined by her Master, Sskeer. Honestly, her best interactions have been with Sskeer and Batrol and I think therein lies the double-edge sword that is her ethos; she definitely seems to be a character that works best when she has someone to react to, while she, herself, is bland when she is the main focus – something which should not been when you are the protagonist. It really seems like her appeal is starts and stops superficially, as she has a great look (especially when you get a competent artist that can draw the natural appeal of her curly q half shave). 

Ultimately, there could be something there but, I still wish the High Republic comic was focusing on Sskeer and or just followed the adventures of Bell Zettifar and Loden Greatstorm.

Orla Jareni

I’ll get my first taste of Orla in issue #7 of The High Republic. When it comes to Star Wars, I’ve learned to temper my expectations and really look at the series with a critical eye (even since The Last Jedi broke me…). This will be especially true because Cavan Scott will be writing her and this is the same person that has been writing Trennis. 

Overall, I would almost call him a decent writer, as issue #4 has been the best piece I have read by him so far but, it has not been consistent in terms of that quality and caliber. That being she at least has a look to her to that will be striking. Haven’t seen the white lightsaber since Dave Filoni’s fan fic character, Ahsoka, obtained the color.

Lily Tora-Asi

Finally, Lily I have the most anticipation for as she is getting a manga, The Edge of Balance. 

I plan on doing a thorough review for this when it comes out and this, in my eyes, has been one of the smarter steps for Star Wars as a whole. The High Republic is supposed to be a multimedia breathe of fresh air in the Star Wars universe and, the fact that Lily will be helming a canon manga installment gives credence the multimedia novel vitality of this era. I hope this will give Disney/Marvel the ingenuity to continue to look at other literary mediums to make GOOD Star Wars materials; perhaps they’ll venture into light novels, next… 

That being said, this is probably the most on the nose the lightsabers have been in terms of being katanas (I thought Kanan’s was pushing it; boy was I wrong). The magna is going to be written by Shima Shinya and Justina Ireland, with art by Mizuki Sakakibara who was the mangaka on Tiger & Bunny. It should be noted that her first appearance will be in the IDW comic Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #3 coming out on April 7, 2021. While it seems to be just a cameo appearance as I have yet to see any dialogue coming from her, it’s still a nice detail to note; once again, giving credence to the multimedia aspect this the High Republic.

Ultimately a 7.5 out of 10, this installment was slightly better because of how Cavan Scott decided to advance the plot. While there some are nice nuggets of good-story telling and character interactions, even worse than last time, it’s bogged down with cardinal errors that truly make me question Scott’s competency as a writer for this story.

The issue comes right off the back end of Keeve being promoted to a Master Jedi and chronicles her first mission in the position. She is still dealing with the growing pains of what it means to be a Jedi which is depicted with her ongoing internalized self-doubt as well as her difficulty expressing certain Jedi mantras, such as “May the Force be with you.” Arguably exacerbating this bottled up uncertainty are the Keeve-proclaimed legends of Jedi Masters Sskeer, and identical Kobati twins Terec and Ceret. These twins are Bond-twins and as so are able to share the same mind and experiences of each other.

As they exit “hyperspace” (more on that later), the four masters come across the leftover demise of a ship that has been attacked. The Jedi were tasked with responding to the scrambled distress call that the ship had sent out sometime ago but, it seems as if they arrived too late. Both Keeve and one of the twins, using the Force, are able to sense survivors within the ransacked ship. As so, they board and enter.  Almost as soon as they are inside, they are met with poisonous Nihilian ovax gas and utilize a device called “rebreathers” to mitigate the effects.  Fully aware that the Nihil have raided this ship, they continue their investigation and split up to cover more ground. Traversing in groups of two, Terec – who is accompanying Sskeer – can sense the Trandoshan experiencing extreme trauma which means that Ceret can feel it as well via their bond; specifically, Sskeer is having flashbacks to the exact moment he lost his arm in the Battle of Kur.

On Keeve’s side of things, she and Ceret come across the corpses of a Hutt and Gamorrean guards. Upon further examination, it seems the Hutt was killed via an amalgam of stab wounds, blaster bolts, and nagnol poisoning – the latter being a toxic natural gas, capable of disrupting starship sensors, poisoning beings based on dosage, and a key element in the Nihil smokescreen.

On Sskeer’s end, he comes across a barley crop and together the Jedi deduce that the Hutt was capitalizing on the grain shortage that has occurred thanks to the Great Disaster. As the twins work on trying to ascertain where exactly the crop came from, Ceret is attacked by a Nihil that has been left behind; this causes both twins to feel the pain but, the wounds are not fatal. Sskeer charges ahead and chases after the Nihil raider, who is already suffering from serious injuries previously sustained in the raid. While Sskeer is perturbed that he cannot sense the attacker he is able to fatally strike down the assailant; coming to gripes that he has just killed, Sskeer goes on a rampage and continually slashes the bifurcated carcass only be brought back to his senses when Keeve addresses him.

Afterward, the Masters relay their findings to Marshall Avar Kriss and with the analysis from Master Maru, come to the conclusion that the barley – specifically Vratixia Renanicus – is a key ingredient in bacta; moreover, the shipment likely came from the Sedri System – principally, Sedri Minor. With this in mind, Kriss assigns Sskeer and Ceret to got to Sedri while she and Jedi Master Rwoh convene with Keeve and Terec to collect the Hutt ship that is breaking trading sanctions. Keeve moves to go with Sskeer but, Sskeer stonewalls her to stay with Terec.

Arriving on the planet, Sskeer is met with unwecolmedness by a citizen, Kalo Sulman who makes it clear that the Jedi’s presence will interfere with the colony’s independence. As the two are discussing, Ceret sees a Rodian in the crops motioning him to come over – as Ceret goes deep into the brush he is attacked by Drengir.

Back on the ship, Kriss and Keeve are discussing the remains of the corpse that Sskeer has left; Kriss reprimands Keeve for not telling her sooner but, also admonishes herself for not looking deeper into the signs the Force were giving her – such as not being able to hear Sskeer’s “song”.

As this happens, Terec – who is being medically assessed by Rwoh – screams out in pain feeling his brother’s anguish and relays this to Kriss. Kriss immediately contacts Sskeer and asks if Ceret is with him; when Sskeer realizes that the twin is gone rushes into the fields only to find his lightsaber.

What I liked:

• A growing plot pivoting off of the bacta manufacturing that was touched on by Jedi Grandmaster Veter; this is much welcomed world building within the parameters that is the High Republic.
  
  
• A very competent and aptly written investigation, analysis, and deductive reasoning done by the Jedi as a whole. The way the Jedi got on the ship, looked for clues, relayed their information to the data analyst/forensic expert, and hash out a plan to go to the planet where the clue originated from was great and definitely resonated with the idea that these Jedi are analogous to Texas Rangers. They certainly seemed like proto-Jedi investigators, not unlike future Jedi Master Tera Sinube.
  
  
• The continued delving into Jedi Master Sskeer. I like the balancing act that is being conducted with his character. He’s a virtuous being that is dealing with trauma but, that doesn’t, ultimately, stop him from being a Jedi – it just tests it. He is still a “knight” and applies that chivalry when it needs to shine. Witnessing his accident and how it is affecting his psyche, ability to use the Force, and his morality is the highlight of this issue. This is what should be focused on to establish WHY Keeve looks up to him – give her these thoughts in accordance with herself doubt.

• The dynamics of Ceret and Terec as interconnected Force Twins (could be seen as “Dyad Force-bond” inspired). Their link is a double-edged sword that reminds me of the Tomax and Xamot Paoli from Cobra Command. The original Star Wars was centered around Force sensitive twins and it’s nice to see that element played with more here – haven’t really seen that since the Mikkian twin sisters – Tiplee and Tiplar – in Clone Wars.
  
  
• The holster to the lightsabers – it’s a nice, subtle way to convey how the Jedi of this era are more in a time of peace and reservation. To have a weapon holstered means that they have to take the extra moment to consider brandishing it. This underlying detail syncs really well with the time period considering that most of their enemies would be lifeforms and could be reasoned with – “life is precious.”
• This can be seen as succinct yet distinct dichotomy between this era Jedi and the Skywalker Saga Jedi, as their sabers were without a holster and normally fashioned around the hips allowing for both instant access and draw in an age encompassed by war with droids – “droids are replaceable.”

What I disliked:

• The application of Keeve’s personality traits continues to feel like a mismatch for the particular time period and volk she supposedly has been training and studying with; Ezra Bridger – who by the High Republic’s standards would not even be a Jedi – acts more like a Jedi than Keeve does. If anything, the uncertainty, quirks, and misapplication of Jedi traditions would have fit Ezra WAY more than it does (or really doesn’t) with Keeve. The concept itself is fine but, the iteration is what is flawed. Keeve is fast feeling more like a Jedi from post revenge Revenge of the Sith – like Kanan Jarrus – that a High Republic Jedi.
  
  
• The sloppy fan service – there is a scene not only of a Hutt but, the Hutt is dead with its tongue out, surrounded by dead Gamorrean guards. It would be one thing if we just had a dead Hutt, I can even look past the Gamorrean guards (even though it would be nice if we saw this race in more roles than guards – there are some but, it does seem like guards is niche as far as the universe is concerned) but, to also have the Hutt dead with its tongue out to me just screams “DO YOU REMEMBER THAT ONE SCENE IN RETURN OF THE JEDI WITH JABBA?!!!” Just, how much are you going to dilute a reference? Make the fan service substantive and or just not in your face – the Rodian luring Ceret is a good version of fan service; present, notable, but not impeding in terms of the narrative.

What I Marked Off:

• The completely wrong depiction of hyperspace; Star Wars Hyperspace is blue and certainly not immersed in stars when one is traveling through it. This error is on the very first page of the issue. This shook me to my very core and yanked me out of the immersion. IT’S THE FIRST PAGE! HOW DOES ONE MESS UP ON THE FIRST PAGE?!!! To add grave insult to mortal injury, hyperspace is a FOCAL element of the High Republic Era – you CAN NOT mess this up. Ultimately, it’s a team mess up but, Scott gets the brunt of this reprimand because this is his story and arguably his script is the one that should be guiding the artist.

The fact that Scott continues to fail to make the necessary references about crucial dynamics, events, and positions within this era. I had to learn from a YouTube video (link below) that Sskeer is actually the “Steward” to Kriss’ Marshall role. As of issue #3, this position is still not established to be held by Sskeer which is a real shame as it adds more substance and weight to his plight as a perturbed Jedi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPeRcyJE5dk&feature=emb_title

In summary, this issue was a 7.5 out of 10; slightly better than issue one because of how the writer decided to advance the plot and who he decided to advance the plot with. The genuinely good moments of story-telling are bogged down by ineptitude that can literally throw one out of the immersion. Nonetheless, if you can tolerate the faults there are elements to enjoy, especially when it comes to the characters. I hope those elements promptly become prominent.

In terms of the comic, the first issue is the definition of a C story – it is a 7 out of 10 because it is average. The simplicity and lack of depth is both the saving grace and condemning damnation of it.

The story follows a new, human Padawan called Keeve Trennis, who is revealed to be on the planet Shuraden, partaking in her final Jedi trial; result of which will be the deciding factor of whether she become a full fledge Jedi Knight. Chaperoning and assessing the trial is her Jedi Master, Sskeer – a Trandoshan – who is sporting one arm (more on that later on).

During said “final” trial, a swarm of giant alien insects – called Ridadi – pop out of nowhere and start stampeding toward a community of fairy like aliens, called Ximpi. Keeve makes an “audacious” choice to abandon her trial in order to save the village. One thing to note, is that she made a utilitarian decision during the course of her rescue, as did not attempt to save one Ximpi who was swallowed whole – she allowed the death of one to save the lives of many.

After relaying the situation those at Starlight Beacon’s, in particular Master Estala Maru, she is told to read the minds of the insects; in doing so, she gathers that these creatures normally using a magnetic homing beacon to guide their migration course – Starlight Beacon has thrown it off course and if Keeve were to fail to stop them here, they would eventually fly to the Beacon, itself.

Using a new lightsaber powered, Force attuned ship – a Vector – Keeve is able to steer the bugs back on course and off of the planet. 

As she reconvenes and recounts with her master, he takes her the Starlight Beacon. Thinking she is about to be expelled from the Order for failing the trial, a new Jedi Master, Avar Kriss – who, via Grandmasters Veter and Yoda, most recently was christened as the new Marshall of Starlight Beacon, officially promotes Keeve to the rank of Knight. As her valediction ceremony takes place on the Beacon, itself, we see Keeve shedding an emotional tear of joy. 

This is interesting as, I thought it was the padawan’s master that would knight them but, this seems not to be the case. Even more curiously, the Jedi do not exclaim “May the Force be with you” but, “For Light and Life”. At the conclusion of the comic, we see Sskeer alone in his chambers screaming “No!” at the top of his lungs.

As forementioned, this debut issue is the epitome of a C story and as so earns it’s 7 out of 10. This is my first introduction into Cavan Scott’s writing and, so far, it is subpar at best and candidly amateurish at it’s worse. The narrative was very telegraphed at times and makes mistakes that are unbecoming of a writer given this caliber of material to work with. Writers like Greg Wiseman, Kyle Higgins, and or David F. Walker would not be making these kinds of errors – Marvel might need to call them to take over.

In the same vein, Ario Anindito’s art is decent but, could be better. It’s not as crisp as I think it should be and looks like it needed another render. Artists like Dan Mora, Stefano Caselli, and especially Doc Shaner would have delivered an efficient job as opposed to the sufficient one Anindito is giving.

It’s vexing as honestly, there is something there in terms of Keeve Trennis in terms of both her character and design.

I am more than fine with a protagonist that doubts themselves because that is a manner in which we are able to learn with them, and there is definitely an avenue to explore with a newly dubbed Jedi Knight still working on finding her niche in the Order. Reviewers, like Thor Skywalker, are not so keen on her having these kind of thoughts and emotions but, it makes sense to me. One of the eventual downfalls of the Jedi was that they were trying to negate their emotions as opposed to controlling them. Keeve showing self-doubt illustrates her struggle to regulate her emotions but also that allows herself to feel the doubt work through it.  Nonetheless, it seems as if we, the reader, have missed an arc and or development with this character – I think it would have been more apt to show her in the Order working her way to the trials as opposed to the last hour of her last trial AND her becoming a Jedi Knight; this is reinforced by the alleged rapport and pedestal she puts Sskeer on – it’s more tell than show and a comic book is meant to show.

In accordance with this self-doubt, she also has the quirk of cursing. This is interesting, albeit jarring because of the era she is in – the High Republic has been presented as the apex of the Order and as so, I thought that meant this would be the time where the Jedi would be the most dogmatic and adherent to their traditions and mentality.

Her design yields the same jarring aspects, once you go beyond the superficial facet. At first glance, it’s very attention-grabbing; young Black woman with half her head shaved on one side, utilizing two lightsabers – holstered on her chest – that she can combine into a dual-sided lightsaber. However, once again, this seems to be out of place given the time period and temperament of the era. Does it make sense for a Jedi in this era to be so bombastic in their look, particularly when it comes to her hair? Seems like a better fit for a time of REVIVING the Jedi Order as opposed to them being at their APEX.

In the Light of the Jedi novel, it is said that Keeve sees the Force as a tapestry – a massive piece of art that spreads across the universe. This is a really nice take on the Force and I hope it gets expanded on with her character in this series – it certainly could attest to aspects of her design, such as her hair. I haven’t really seen Star Wars characters interested in art aside from Sabine Wren, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Alva Brenne; now we have a character who the Force IS art for her. Granted, this aspect of hers has not been seen and or mentioned in the comic and it SHOULD be as this is the formal DEBUT of this character for many people.

The issue gets some major points off, as well because:

1.  Keeve’s uses her lightsaber to not only slow down descent but to stop the fall completely.

• This is cardinal sin that follies in the mechanics and use of how lightsabers work. This happens nine pages in and broke my immersion within the issue - immediate red flag.
• At best, an argument could be made that because this is set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga these sabers are weaker than their future counter parts and therefore not as potent in terms of lethality but, this is me – the fan – writing for the writer. Star Wars (or its content creators) simply do not get that luxury anymore. Plot holes are to be called out by the consumer and filled in/addressed by the writer; plain and simple.

2.  There is a general lack of references and or footnotes to other material – particularly to the current books and comics – that would have given context to some of the events and tools used in the comic. Prime examples of missed opportunities to seed this world cohesively take form in Sskeer’s missing arm, the Ximpi themselves, and the Vectors.

• The High Republic, as a whole, was marketed ongoing multimedia project and as so, interconnectivity should be the prime focal point of this serious. Continuity is key ESPECIALLY when they’ve thrown out the old canon and are new canon. The tools are there – USE THEM!!! The book – really Charles Soule in general –  is doing the heavy lifting of world building and establishing many of the characters – the least Scott can do is alley oop these layups.

3.  As mentioned earlier, Keeve uses a Vector to as the driving force to solve the problem but, there was no footnote and or reference to the fact that this was a special kind of ship. Moreover, the use of the Vector has already broken the canon that has JUST been established for it – Vectors are powered by the Jedi’s Lightsaber, the hub changes color to that of the lightsaber that activated it, it is steered by the user’s ability with Force, and there should be no autopilot and astromech droids there to guide it based on the fact that these innovations are rare within the galaxy in this era.

• Why add these parameters if the creators that be are not going to adhere to them?

Ultimately, this issue threatened to be interesting. If this is the modus operandi of the series as a whole… making good on the threat will be the difference between triumph and downfall.

These are my initial thoughts and minutely biased opinion/review of the High Republic.

My basis is primarily founded on the first two issues of the High Republic comic book – written by Cavan Scott – along with a secondary basis, from a secondhand account of the book Light of the Jedi, written by Charles Soule. It is a secondary account because I don’t read books; I am not a book man. My friend loves to read books and he graciously gets on Discord with me basically every day and together we dissect and discern what’s going on in this new period of the galaxy.

This evaluation will mainly concentrate on the book portion and while not all encompassing, will give you a significant gist of how I’m feeling about High Republic. Also, there will be SPOILERS – you have been warned.

Overall, the book seems to have a strong first third, gets into a lull in the second third, and somewhat recovers in the last third but, arguably not as strong as that first third. The strengths of the book are definitely world building, the focus on Starlight Beacon, and finally, the introduction to all the new (old) Jedi; the Jedi are the best thing about the book.

Plot wise, the book centers on and around Starlight Beacon with hyperspace being the driving force of the conflict.

Starlight Beacon is akin to an amalgam of air traffic control, a mutli-cultural embassy, a Jedi Temple, and a bazaar. At this point, it housed the largest number of Jedi outside of Coruscant and used signals to guide travelers during their interplanetary journeys. It was made in response to the Great Disaster – a hyperspace tragedy that caused starships all across the galaxy to be abruptly launched out of hyperspace leading to several moons in the Trymant system, including Korbatal, to be destroyed. Beacon exists to better calibrate for, identity, and curtail these new anomalies as astromech droids are a rarity in this period of time.

Around the same time, a marauder group – called the Nihil – have found a way to board and raid ships while they are in hyperspace using hyperspace channels termed Paths. Through the use of devices - called Path Engines - Nihil ships are to make short-burst hyperspace jumps, allowing them to appear and disappear in a flash during battle. Their raids have led to deaths, including that of Jedi Jora Malli -  a Togruta Jedi Master that sees the Force as a force – always in competition with itself. She was also very close friends with Sskeer; a Trandoshan Jedi Master that lost an am during the raids. 

In accordance with that last point, hyperspace will be somewhat of the crux contention to fans (and really science fiction enthusiast in general) as this is not how hyperspace has generally been established to work in Star Wars yet, is the lynch pin in how conflicts happen. This even follies with the newly established way hyperspace works in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker but, I digress…

I knew there were going to be some major plot holes in this super prequel series but, my best hope was that they wouldn’t be too gaping. Just knowing that this application exists, changes many aspects of space travel and what characters going forward should know about it.

Canon mechanics aside, Charles Soule makes it clear why was given this duty; he has blatant skill for writing not only characters but, also taking the extra steps of having the individualized power of the character be an extension of them. He did this very well during his run in Uncanny Inhumans and he’s not disappointing here either (he’s had plenty of practice in the Star Wars realm already with books like Star Wars, Poe Dameron, and The Rise of Kylo Ren).

There are a multitude of Jedi brought in, which complements the time period and era of it being the High Republic but, the real asset of the book is Soule taking the needed time to give the reader a look at how each Jedi interprets the Force in their own way. Moreover, the pairings of different Jedi serve as accompaniments to each other in very noteworthy ways.

Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm, sees the Force as an ocean.

His Padawan, Bell Zettifar sees it as a flame – sometimes a raging inferno, sometimes glinting ember. (This is very fascination as usual flames are a motif associated with the Sith yet, here is Bell - a shining example of a Jedi - interpreting fire in a positive light. I also like how view of the Force allowed him to synch with his charhound, Ember).

Wookie Padawan Burryaga Agaburry, perceives it has a tree attached to a leaf of equal size.

Vernestra Rwoh, the one of the youngest Jedi Knight in the order, sees it as a river.

Reath Silas, see it as a spider web – strong in some spots, weak in others.

Elzar Mann, views it as an endless, bottomless sea which was impossible to be used up, not matter for what purpose or however many times it was called upon. (I’m curious to see if there will be a differentiation between how Mann sees the force when compared to Greatstorm; an ocean is deeper than that of a sea.)

Finally, Jedi Master Avar Kriss, hears the Force as a symphony – moreover, she can connect with minds of other Jedi and is able see how other see how they see the Force.

Hot take but, the character of Kriss feels like a Kathleen Kennedy character as Kennedy been prone to interject White, third wave feminism (if you’re not intersectional then you’re not a “feminist” to me) into Star Wars. One of her signatures is to take a White human female and make her the either the main character or a key figure in the narrative. Avar Kriss, a White blonde-haired human woman, is literally depicted as “the brightest, most noble example of Jedi-hood” so, I’m keeping a keen eye on her – doesn’t help that she just got assigned Marshall to Starlight Beacon but, if it’s any consolation (more like mitigation), she was the SECOND pick as the first died.

Ultimately, if you are able to get the major hurdle that is hyperspace Paths, this is a competent and enjoyable start.

Soule even goes as far to add some interesting and even practical – yet lore breaking – devices in this age: he’s made a new (old) space ship called “Vectors” that are powered/steered by Force sensitive people with the lightsaber being the key to active it (even cooler, the hub takes the color of the lightsaber that activates it). 

That’s a great idea and makes sense within the universe as whole yet, collapses on itself when you remember what time period, we’re in – the past, so why was this not built upon in the future?

It definitely feels like the books are 85% of the story while the comics (more on them in a later post) are – at their prime peak – a mere “intrinsic 15%”.

The best part for me has been the characters; hopefully, the plot will come along to accent them justly.

Arguably though, the best characters – that of Loden and Bell – should be depicted in the comics based on their gravitating dynamics and instant attachment with readers.

I’m not one for themes because of how ambivalent they can come across if they are not executed properly. That being said, I think the theme of these three character in particular - the red line of fate that connects them - is that of choice.

I’ll do my level best to make the abstract, concrete:

Hawks was born in squalor to a villain but chose to see Endeavor as a beacon of light that allowed him to soar to new heights of herodom; Endeavor was the wind (or hot air) beneath his wings.

Dabi was born in luxury to a “hero” that chose to use the abuse and obsession to make a better hero than All Might as fuel to catalyze his collusion to destroy the hero society as the world knew it; Endeavor was the accelerant needed to smolder civilization.

Endeavor was the choice; choice, at the least, has duality. Endeavor has both laudable and lurid traits about him - his entire story so far has been that back and forth of what IS he. While both Hawks and Dabi are their own people, they can be seen as the best and worst of Endeavor - at the same time. Hawks has done abhorrent things in the name of heroism; Dabi has commit commendable acts for the sanctity of villainy. Both, have been touched by and burned by the flames of Endeavor.

It seems sees as if Endeavor, right now, is watching his duality - that of Dabi and Hawks - combat each other through the machinations and executions of the plans they had. This really resonated with me because Endeavor told the world: “Just watch me” - and now HE is watching himself through Hawks, and currently through Dabi.

So far, it seems that we are at a stalemate; ultimately, I think Shoto will be the swing vote that will break the tie and be the determinant of how we are to see Endeavor.

While I wish Horikoshi had waited to make this reveal stand on it’s own two feet and not be subsequent to the other bombshells that have been dropped - and CONTINUE - to be dropped this arc, this particular aspect with these three characters has been a master class in storytelling and needs to appraised as such.

BURN THE WITCH, LIMITED SERIES: CHAPTER 4 - If A Lion Could Speak, We Wouldn’t Understand

9.0 out of 10

Kubo, you son of bitch… It’s like you read my last chapter and catered this week’s chapter for me, personally. What the last chapter was lacking, this chapter made up for in droves. 

I asked for differentiations on how spells work between the Pipers and the Inks; he gave that to me – while the Pipers seem to use verbal incantations, the Inks appear use “Release Codes” where there is a “spell in a can” that activates quickly upon a timed discharge. 

I asked for depth in terms of the world; he gave that to me – a new type of Dragon was introduced in the form of a Marchen: One of seven dragons named after a particular thematic fairy tale (Snow White, Red Dress, Golden Axe, Bubbles, Sugar House, Band of Animals, and Cinderella). Essentially, a Marchen is a single specific dragon, with an individualized set of traits and abilities that are unique to it; they’re basically Legendary Pokemon.

Specifically, Elly is Cinderella (it was hinted at because of the “Ell”): Cinderella is the dragon that has six talons; can use Stealth Scale (an ability where the dragon disappears for a moment to reappear later on); molts in the moon light; has a crown on its head; and flaps sentient Star Ash that causes light explosions on contact with something tangible.

I asked for a better battle display; he gave that to me – Bruno, Noel, and Ninny worked together to cage Cinderella and use its own explosive power against it. That is the strategy and power conjunction I wanted to see from Kubo and he delivered it.

Moreover, Kubo added upon the parts of the story that are already great. Bruno has become my favorite character in this story by far because of how well Kubo is able to utilize him for the story. His design is simple yet spectacular and the way he uses is spells is striking: he’s a tagger and even uses a bandana mask when he goes into battle. His spells – called “Release Codes” – are contained within his assortment of spray paint; one Code even looked like word graffiti art. I’m not one to power scale but, it should be noted that Cinderella was one thing that was able to draw blood and noticeable damage to him so, his rank as a Director of the Inks seems earned. In addition, his character is far from one note – he seems to be chaotic good: he’ll do his job ultimately but, he’s not above bending the rules and catering situations to progress his career and standing; plus, he’s smart and has a rhyme to his bombastic reason. However, he is not above paying back and offering favors for those who help him (this is the most Grimmjow thing he’s done so far but, I still say he’s a fusion of Renji and Bazz B), even if it means he won’t get a promotion in term of rank and or reputation.

Aside from those immediately noteworthy moments and concepts, the chapter itself was just solid in terms of having things come full circle with the ideas and mechanics Kubo has introduced into this sect of the world. Kubo gave a great reason why Balgo should be kept alive in reference to the Marchen; Billy Banks Jr., is not a useless character and is actually far more competent and apt than he leads on (he seems to place certain pieces and people in particular places); also, the hints at rapport between Billy Banks Jr., and Sullivan Squire were addressed and teased a bit more (I am more interested to see how exactly these two connect with each other). 

The connective tissue is there and that’s what I wanted from the story – it really feels like Kubo has put the story before any particular character and that is why the characters work because they serve the narrative.

At the heart of it all, Burn the Witch Chapter 4 is a 9 out of 10 chapter because of the way it not only made up for what it lacked in chapter 3 but also how it took those additions and tied them so sufficiently into the “finale” – there is enough here for it to just conclude while also having enough there to continue. The overall framework of how the story will go was established nicely.

One thing that was not made clear but, I wish was referenced is if the reason the Marchen are known to be so strong is because they ate a witch/wizard and became immortal. This was mentioned by the Disguiser Dragon Shelby back in the one-shot chapter of Burn the Witch and with the way Kubo wrapped this up so tightly, that could have been made clearer.

Also, I didn’t notice Cquntnire Milieve’s scanty design until someone pointed it out to me: as he said “There’s horny, then, there is unnecessarily horny”. It didn’t both me but, I can see how this can irk some people.

Nevertheless, let it be known, this was not just return to form for Kubo; it was an ascension. 

BURN THE WITCH, LIMITED SERIES: CHAPTER 3 - She Makes Me Feel Special

7.5 out of 10

Story-wise, we get a quick cut away to Billy Banx Jr. trying to spy any pry in on the Crown Council Central Table; soon enough, he is caught by Sullivan Squire and she (I thought she was a guy at first; I’ll make an amendment now and say that she is the amalgam of Uryū Ishida and Soi Fon) informs Banx that an elimination order is underway for Balgo and Bruno has already taken the initiative to apprehend him – Squire is all but sure Noel and Ninny will be in the crossfire. There is definitely some indication that Squire and Banx have and or had a rapport with either; I’m curious to see how it will be either developed and or divulged later on.

We then pick off right where we left off with Bruno making an explosive entrance. Noel doesn’t recognize him but, Ninny does; Bangnyfe calls his subordinates to capture Balgo – who is easily identifiable based on the Pipers cape he’s wearing (this is a nice call back as it is revealed Bruno arranged that to happen so he could be set up for right now) and makes a false report that Balgo was the one responsible for the attack on the Realist building. Bruno goes on to tell the Pipers of Balgo’s impending execution order and that who ever claims him will gain everlasting notability. Upon hearing this, Noel insults his dye job (I think it looks cool…) which infuriates him.

As he preps to attack, Noel rushes down to rescue Balgo from the subordinate Inks; while Bruno is taken aback at his men being handled so easily, Ninny points her horn to the back of his head and asks, ultimately, was he responsible for bringing Macy to Reverse London. Bruno, candidly, admits that he did recruit her and moreover discloses that Macy is a Watcher – a person that can see dragons; it was only a matter of time until she would have made her way into Reverse London.

This information stifles Ninny a bit and Bruno takes that instant to kick the horn out her hand. Noel is able to catch Ninny’s horn and, in conjunction with her own, shoots a giant magic blast; during which, Ninny grabs Macy and with Balgo and Noel in tow, make their escape. When the dust clears, Bruno is unscathed and all but irked – he summons his own dragon, named Rickenbacker and he goes hunting. This is interesting because, I didn’t think others would have their own dragons but, this just back to the symbiosis between humans and dragons, I suppose. 

After Noel sets a cloth to hide themselves for a bit, Macy starts to explain how she found her dragon – Elly (who they just left behind) – and how she got into Reverse London; once again, it was Bruno that arranged her whereabouts – really seems like he a great master planner. Just as soon as it seems like they are getting a breather, Bruno breaks the cloth and displays that the execution order has been approved – Balgo is now Reverse London’s most wanted man.

All in all, this was a decent issue but, it seems to do little in terms of progressing the story. This would have more than fine if we would have been privy to the magic system of Wing Bind but, the “battle” ended up being nothing more than a quick skirmish and essentially a retreat and regroup. The overall outcome is not inherently bad but, the execution – moreover, the lack of execution – is what I had a problem with. Ninny, Noel, and Bruno just did some quick maneuvers but, this was the time to really lay down some spells showing how they operate and differentiate in usage between say, Pipers and Inks. For example, Noel places a cloth to cover themselves only for Bruno to break it later on. What was I supposed to take from this other than that it’s not as useful when a division leader is looking for you?

That being said, I will highlight two things I did like in this chapter.

1. Each Wing Bind Division has their own Zodiac Sign: Inks – Taurus; Anthems – Capricorn; Sacreds – Aquarius; Pipers – Aries; Sabres – Scorpio; Patchworks – ??? (still a mystery); Billionaires – Leo; Gallows – Libra. I missed that the first time around and this more than likely means there are four signs and or divisions that are not accounted for.

2. Also, Bruno’s dragon Rickerbacker shares his name with a guitar – this could mean that either Bruno, his magic, or the dragon itself is more music themed in terms of attacks. I suppose this means that the dragons can be seen as their version of Zanpakuto; moreover, that means this series is closer to How to Train Your Dragon than I realized.

Nonetheless, in summary, there is substance here but there needs to be depth – Kubo knows and or should know how to give depth to his world. This chapter could have been a lateral move but, it did regress a tad based on the lack of intricacy his world and ultimately characters are failing to display. For that, it gets a 7.5 out of 10.

Burn Witch – Chapter 2: Ghillie Suit, improved upon that last chapter by providing consistent story progression, strong promise and execution of forward momentum, and distinct yet welcomed world building; for that it has garnered an 8 out of 10.

Narrative-wise, Kubo did a smart thing of having two storylines seemingly converge and operate at the same time. Even if it still seems like he’s still using the training wheels of Bleach by essentially retooling the “Rescue Rukia” arc at least he’s having that past narrative happen concurrently with this new one between Ninny and her ex- bandmate Macy Baljure. 

In addition, it seems like Macy might have been more than just a bandmate to Ninny; time will tell if the feelings were mutually requited. 

Moreover, Bruno Bangnyfe seems like he’s going to be a welcomed addition to the story (he’s basically an amalgam of Renji Abarai and Bazz B); I just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Renji and Bazz B. Nonetheless, he knows how to make a bombastic entrance and captivate the scenery. Don’t let me down Kubo; give him some good character development and a decent win-loss ratio - you OWE me that!

In terms of the realm, I like the fact that Kubo is still building the world that is Reverse London. At first, I was under the impression that the citizens of Reverse London were completely forbidden with interacting with dragons of any kind but, this chapter refutes and cleans up that sentiment rather nicely. If anything, it seems as if dragons, “humans”, and witches/wizards share a symbiotic relationship with one another; the depiction of this was like the Flinstones except replace dinosaurs with dragons. 

I like the fact that they going into detail between light dragons and dark dragons. I also would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Macy – a human (at least so far, that’s what we know her as) – is able to control a dragon; I don’t recall a human being able to control hollows in Bleach so, there’s another distinction to give to the West Branch.

Moreover, there has been a new hard rule introduced to the world; any damage that happens in Reverse London will be reflected and felt in Front London. This actually works both in story and in the meta-sense as I was a bit perplexed why Reverse London and Front London looked so similar. Likewise, this is a staunch differentiation from the Soul Society as it was clear when we were in the material world and when we happened upon Soul Society based on the fact that one domain was modern looking and the other looked more rural/feudal Japan in terms of architecture and aesthetic. Here, the Londons look the same because they are more connected and there are grave consequences if one gets detrimentally damaged.

What I’m hoping they’ll dive more into is how exactly the ranking system of the Wind Bind works. As stated in the chapter, the Pipers are in charge of rearing and conversing the dragons and as so illegal rearing falls into their jurisdiction and responsibilities as well; hence why Ninny, Noel, and Balgo were on that particular mission. However, from the one shot it seemed as if the Pipers were below the Sabres; yet, Billy Banx Jr. was/is the commanding officer of Noel and Ninny and last chapter established that there are at least eight divisions, with a man named Tronbone Takkinen being the overall head of the Pipers. Based on that, my best guess would be that Billy is basically the lieutenant of the Pipers but, still based on the promotion there still some speculation as to the actual inner workings.

Nonetheless, the narrative momentum, emergence of appealing story threads and defining distinctions, along with a and gripping cliffhanger is why this week’s Burn the Witch earned an 8 out of 10.

BURN THE WITCH, LIMITED SERIES: CHAPTER 1

Ultimately, I give it a very loving yet, nepotistic 7.5 out of 10.Burn the Witch came out three days ago; I read it yesterday. I’m still optimistically skeptical about this project Kubo is doing.

The best and most objective way, I feel, to describe this first chapter is that this is Bleach with a British, teaboo mod weaved into the source code. Granted, this inherently is not a bad thing because Kubo seems all but to make it clear that the society that is Reverse London is just sector of the encompassing Bleach universe; the Soul Society that we’ve seen in Bleach was the east section – now, we’re on the west side. If that is solely what Kubo wants to do, I’ll be a bit disappointed because I REALLY wanted him to show his growth from Bleach being cancelled, not just Bleach: Teaboo ReDux.

The differences that are there between Bleach and Burn the Witch are noteworthy but, a bit more underlying than I would like. The duo of Noel Niihashi and Ninny Spangcole works; a big problem of the Ichigo-Rukia relationship is that they were both too reactive as opposed to proactive (more so Ichigo than Rukia). 

Here, while Noel is reactive, she is balanced by Ninny who will jump into the fray and has clear ambitions from the start. That’s great – that is the growth I want more prominently shown. I would argue that reading the one-shot is a must because the story has already made a retcon in terms of a certain character plus, there is a parallel introduction to Ninny that they did once before with Noel. As a sidenote, let it be known that I love the tsundere more than the kuudere.

In addition, I do like that the aesthetic is definitive enough to differentiate from their Shinigami compatriots. Kubo has almost always had an eye for fashion and the red plaid cloths over the green coat really sets you in the scene that we are in a modern London with a witches and wizards. Granted, this just goes back to the “mod mentality” - instead of Shinigami, there are witches and wizards; instead of Hollows/Menos Grande, there are dragons. I wonder what the Quincy and or Espada equivalent will be (if we get to that point).

Now, to a more pressing matter: Burn the Witch has WAY too many significant parallelisms to Bleach in terms of the the story and the tropes; it is blatant that Kubo has re-adapted many past storylines and Kubo-isms, into this story. I’m disappointed that he doesn’t have a more solid magic system; the Hado of Bleach needed more hard rules and this “new” system does as well. 

It also doesn’t help that nigh every character can be seen as just an amalgam of previous characters from Bleach (for example: Ninny = Hiyori Sarugaki + Riruka Dokugamine; Noel = Byakuya Kuchiki + Nemu Kurotsuchi; Balgo = Keigo Asano + Orihime Inoue). Granted, I will give Kubo points if he makes an amalgam of Gin Ichimaru and Toshiro Hitsugaya (DO IT KUBO!!!!! You already have the perfect model to do so!!!).

Moreover, the initial story seems to be SAME set up as the first two arcs of Bleach. Stop me if you heard this before: A person that did a thing that weren’t supposed to is scheduled for execution by the higher ups and (more than likely) the protagonist(s) is going to defy the system and impede the execution. I’m not even trying to be facile with the description, that is LITERALLY what seems to be happening. I’m also not too keen on the idea that we have another multifaceted organization with multiple members; too many characters with not enough development was a major aspect of Bleach’s downfall before - I stand by that the Vizards were an unnecessary and detrimental misstep of Kubo’s overall narrative. Kubo works better with a more air tight setting – when he tries to spread out the world becomes hollow… 

For a better comparison, had this been something like RWBY - which was “new” and still trying to get its bearings - this would have been fantastic set up: the world is there, the characters are established enough, and the power system is teased. However, this is NOT like RWBY - this is NOT Kubo’s first rodeo and ideally, he should know better and do better in terms of his story lore, character development, and setting. If anything, it should be more like Black Clover, particularly when it comes to the implementation of more English mythological lore.

With that, it is based on the totality of all these circumstances that I give BURN THE WITCH, LIMITED SERIES: CHAPTER 1 and very enthusiastic, yet nostalgic, 7.5 out of 10. I’m glad Kubo is back but, I want to see how he’s grown and so far, it seems that he is keen on playing his hits – and not necessarily the greatest ones.