#I am going with canon maki here and this interaction already seems so funny in my head

[remotespontaneouscombustion]

@dnangelic : ❛  oh god. please tell me you haven’t just heard me talk to myself.  ❜

Honestly he probably wouldn't have if what he'd overheard hadn't sounded… very illegal. Not that the laws were really something Maki paid any personal mind to really, but it was a bit unusual to hear what sounded like blatant talking about theft... heard from someone who couldn't be older than him by much.

He was fully intending on going about his business before this point, blending into the background as much as someone can despite a bright yellow jacket. But his curiosity got the better of him as he lingered near the stranger, unable to hide making a baffled face when he realized what he was hearing about. Sort of. Parts of it are not clicking. But what a jumpy reaction too.

It's rude to eavesdrop, his mind echoes back to him.

"I'm...sorry, I think I heard more than you intended on sharing. Though it's not any concern of mine if it helps."

If he was going to commit a theft that was up to the police to handle. Not any of Maki's business. Might be a little fun to watch, though.

[sweetescapeartist]

MY DBS MANGA CHAPTER 70 REVIEW

We learn in the last chapter that the Cerealian Dragon's name is Toronbo when Granolah speaks Namekian. Toronbo grants Granolah's wish but can't make Granolah stronger than the gods.

Here's the confusion I have... Goku is a mortal beyond GoDs so making Granolah the strongest mortal is making him stronger than gods. If you wanna say Beerus has been training and is now stronger than Goku, there's still a problem. It was said that Goku and Vegeta were stronger than some GoDs right before the ToP (but that might be anime only, so maybe it doesn't apply here). So Granolah is stronger than GoDs no matter what. If the gods that Toronbo is speaking of are the Angels, then that means Granolah is Ultra Instinct level of power since Goku is the lowest in Angel tier. But whatever. Bottom line is Granolah is temporarily stronger than Goku who may or may not be stronger than Beerus.

Granolah gets his wish granted and the cost is shortening his life... cool. Not much to say except let's see how its executed.

(I recently read that in DBXV2, during the Infinite History Saga, Videl is enchanted with Towa's Dark Magic spell by Dabura shaving off her life but granting her greater power. So granting power at the cost of lifespan has been done in DB before. Not in canon but in the games.)

Also, Granolah's life being shortened to 3 yrs got me thinking... Currently it's almost AGE 781 in the DBS manga timeline. Goku leaves to train Uub in AGE 784. We got 3 yrs left. The original manga shows Bulma said she hadn't seen Goku in 5 yrs. How I see DBS is that it is an alternate timeline that just happens to have a similar outcome to the EoZ.

So... why is Vegeta learing from Beerus again if Beerus isn't that strong now? Is Vegeta being like Krillin and continuing his learning from a master weaker than him, but gaining wisdom & knowledge? I-is Vegeta becoming Krillin 2.0?! (More like dollar-store Krillin)

I do think beerus got stronger tho. He seems very confident that Vegeta can get stronger from learning from him. Beerus probably saw Goku get UI then decide to train aftet the ToP

Anyways, Beerus is teaching us about hakai/destruction energy. Its erasing something from existence, not just destroying it (we already knew that). But, Vegeta quickly figures out how to do it anyways. By destroying a tiny pebble...

A tangent again but I personally think Piccolo is capable of easily learning Hakai energy. Think about it. Piccolo can create clothing out of nothing, why could he not do the reverse?

Goku is uninterested in what Beerus & Vegeta are doing. I dont know about you, but it sounds like Goku thinks that he's above Beerus in strength. Beerus & Vegeta aren't considered a challenge to him in any way. Goku sees UI as more important & better than anything Beerus has to teach, and Goku is right. Plus Goku learned Hakai on his own while Vegeta needs Beerus to teach him. It's a waste of Goku's time to learn it again.

(God Comics is funny. I imagine Toribot writes them)

Goku says "Let's see which one of us can be the strongest in the universe!" Really, Goku...? At present time, Goku is the strongest mortal in the universe already. He should know that. Then Vegeta for some reason thinks he will become the strongest in the universe. The last time manga Vegeta was the strongest mortal in the universe was... never. He's always behind Goku or whatever new opponent arises. This scene is meant to be comedic that they're arguing over who will be the greatest but it's not funny to me. And yet Vegeta fans still hold on for hope.

But why is Goku concerned about being the strongest between him & Vegeta? Goku is far above Vegeta. They're not rivals at this point. Also, Goku was the strongest in the universe until just a few moments ago. Goku should be saying "I knew bein' the strongest wouldn't last for too long. Roshi did tell me there will always be somebody stronger out there. Hehe! This is gettin' me excited! I can't wait to meet 'em!" (This would alsp parallel Monaito giving Granolah the same advice Goku already knows.)

Also, I guess Broly isn't that strong after all. Bye Broly, you served your purpose. And to think that Goku had said that he thinks Broly is stronger than Beerus...

Oh yeah. So Vegeta destroys a pebble. Impressive? Goku kinda gives a compliment or he is practically saying "Good job Vegeta! You're doing great following in my footsteps!" Seriously, this would be so much better and cooler if this seperate paths of training began right after the Universe 6 vs Universe 7 tournament. That would be the perfect spot to have them train under Beerus & Whis. [Vegeta using Hakai against Merged Zamasu, Goku able to fight Merged Zamasu temporarily because he is getting better at letting his body move on its own, Toppo & Vegeta using Hakai against each other as Goku & Jiren use power above GoDs. That would work so much better.]

Then Vegeta says he's gonna destroy bigger things soon... is that supposed to be more impressive? Its not. But this it to build up Vegeta even though there is nothing amazing about anything he is doing at the moment. Maybe later tho.

So Cerealians can't grow beards. Also I guess Granolah's race don't age? His hair grew when his lifespan was shortened but he has no wrinkles. It seems that they age more gracefully than Saiyans. If he has some wrinkles he would have looked cooler imo. Or those lines under the eyes at the very least. If the wish shortened his life & made his hair grow, it should have also showed that he aged. (Here's an edit I made of "Grampa Granolah." You're welcome)

And remember Vegeta destroying a pebble? Granolah can suddenly destroy big rocks! Cool right?! No? Its not cool? Showing Granolah destroy a much larger object right afterwards kinda belittles Vegeta's accomplishment.

Oatmil is surprised by a boulder exploding. This means one of 2 things. Oatmil is stupid & never saw an Granolah explode a boulder. Or it's implying that the boulder exploding is some technique Oatmil doesn't know of. Idk how he can tell its any different from just blowing up a rock with ki. I think it's supposed to be destruction energy. If it is then, ok. If getting his wish was so easy, then why can't he suddenly learn destruction as well?

Yay! Monaito! (This really should be a Namekian focused arc)

Granolah reminds me of Zamasu with his attitude a bit. Monaito tells him somebody stronger will definetly appear. Granolah has become like Vegeta and is over confident, so he is destined to get humbled. And think about this. Goku can probably train a bit and surpass Granolah within a week.

Granolah can now sense ki. Meaning he can have the destruction technique or UI, because why not?

Monaito blames himself for Granolah's actions. Its not your fault Monaito! You did nothing wrong! Dont be so hard on yourself.

Whis being a creep and peeping on people lol.

Granolah's hair growing was pointless because he cuts it off soon after. Nothing changed visually. This kinda reminds me of how Moro lost his arm. Goku gave him a senzu, Moro grew it back, & then Moro broke his arm when attacking Goku. Then Moro tore his arm off & reattached his old one. There was no need for Moro to grow his arm back then tear it off. Similarly, there is no need for Granolah to have grown long hair then cut it off.

Maki still brings a smile to my face. She & Gas stand out the most out of the Heeters. Maki's personality is kinda like Zangya combined with a teasing Bulma. Gas reminds me of a Krillin/Piccolo fusion with dreadlocks. I also ship Maki x Gas cause they're short and look cute together. (please don't be siblings so I can draw them together🤞)

Granolah fights Oil & Maki. I'm not impressed. They seem like they could be defeated by Chaoitzu (he's stronger than Raditz and probably Nappa now too). Granolah's movements could be seen as UI. If it is or isn't UI, it doesn't matter. Showing off that kind of power is like Goku using Ultra Instinct during a rematch with Nam or King Chappa. Its not effective storytelling. There had to be a better way of showing Granolah's new strength than making him fight opponents that give him zero challenge.

The art is good as usual and the panel flow is nice. Toyotaro is improving at creating the illusion of motion. The environment being used in the fight was smart and a good visual. Toyo still uses a ton of panels almost every page tho. But he's still a better artist than I am.

Granolah appears to have used Hakai again. Not the explosive variant but the sand variant (yes I think there are 2 ways of using Hakai).

The "Sand Variant" that Beerus & Goku (& maybe Granolah) have used.

The "Explosive Variant" Beerus & Vegeta (& maybe Granolah) have used.

Maki thinks the "Hakai" is magic so that's interesting. I would say I'd like for the next enemy to be a magic user but, we know how Moro turned out... 😓

Maki has "ki claws" & I like the idea but it would be better if she had used it against an enemy she can defeat. It doesn't make her look useful in this fight. Gas seems confident when he is about to fight Granolah, but Elec stops him. Gas would've gotten beaten but it make ya wonder what Gas can do.

Granolah appears to be a person that is easily manipulated and persuaded. He even gave information they weren't even asking for. He'll probably be easily convinced and manipulated by Freeza/the Hedters or quickly have a truce with Goku.

The Heeters plan to go to Planet Cereal to get the Dragon Balls. As I suspected, the Cerealian Dragon Balls were created so that it would be easy for wishes to be granted. Gathering 2 Dragon Balls on a nearby planet instead of gathering 7 on New Namek or Earth. Plus these new Dragon Balls ensures no interaction between Earthlings & Granolah/the Heeters. A perfect way to write Gohan & company out of the story... *sigh* 😔😒

We learn Cerealians live for 2 centuries. How's that compare to other races in Universe 7? Freeza & King Cold apparently can live more than 200 yrs, But that may be because they are mutants. Namekians can live for like 500 yrs & its possible for them to reincarnate themselves too. So in a way, Namekians can live forever. Saiyans stay youthful & live to be in their 80's, but rapidly age when they reach their 60's or 70's. Average Earthlings appear live to be in their 80's or 90's but some are over 100 yrs old (Dr. Briefs, Panchy, & Ox King are in their 90's in GT) and others can increase their lifespan through elixers or the Paradise Herb. Just some thoughts of mine.

Maki says "If he ices Freeza..." Ha, an ice pun. Elec wants to defeat Freeza so he can control his army. Its revealed they wanna kill Granolah & that they worked with Freeza to destroy his planet & race. Well... that more than likely means they're gonna die by Granolah's hand or Freeza's. This info is also an attempt to make the reader more sympathetic for Granolah. Granolah is too bland (pun intended) so I don't feel any more sympathy than I already had for him. Elec plans to make Goku & Vegeta fight Granolah since Granolah hates Saiyans. Smart but we all kinda expected it. Not bad writing tho.

The final panel talks about fate bringing the 3 (Goku, Vegeta, & Granolah) together. Sounds like a repeat of the Broly movie.

We've had 4 chapters in this arc & not 1 panel of Freeza... If Freeza doesnt appear & do something in the next chapter then I will be disappointed in the writing. Showing Freeza here and there would give tension and build up until we get the encounter with him. We also have no idea who Oatmil is. Is he an A.I. or a person? Not that big of a deal yet, but I would like to find out soon. Either show Freeza or tell us more about Oatmil next chapter pleaae

This chapter was like oatmeal (the food not the character) without butter, brown sugar, milk, & honey or raisins. Not bad, but not very good either. 

So here's my thoughts on the things that could or could not happen in this arc.

Goku vs Granolah. I don't care for the fight because the power is at a point that it doesnt make sense for enemies to get to without cheating somehow. The fight will look cool but I have no interest in it.

Vegeta vs Granolah will have Vegeta being stomped as always and Vegeta fans will make excuses & complain how it's not fair. A lot of Vegeta fans often make fun of Yamcha & Krillin for getting beat up even though those 2 bravely fight opponents leagues stronger than they are. Vegeta has gotten stomped by opponents more times than Krillin & Yamcha combined but the fans gotta deflect somehow. I don't care to hear or see the complaining again.

The interaction and dialogue between Granolah & Vegeta is going to be more interesting than their fight. But I worry because Toyo isn't the best at writing dialogue.

I have no reason to care about power growth, certain interactions, or Goku & Vegeta's training.

What I am curious about/want to see?

Monaito's well being. I want him to reunite with other Namekians. But I think he's been set up to die.

Lore about the dragon gods & Namekian lore we probably wont get.

I want Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan, & others will be involved. Piccolo because of the Namekian & wosh granting dragon lore. Gohan because his interaction with Granolah eould be interesting since Gohan is half Saiyan & views himself as an Earthling. Krillin & other Earthlings because they can bring tensions where characters like Goku & Vegeta can't. Those 2 are too strong for there to be any real tension. However Earthlings aren't all powerful so them using wits to survive is more exciting. But I doubt any of their involvement.

How long a Cerealian year is? Is it shorter than a Namekian year? How much time will pass for the Cerealian Dragon Balls to be active? How much stronger than Granolah will Goku get? Hopefully the answers aren't lazy...

Will Beerus finally fight somebody? There are 6 mortals that are near or above his power (Goku, Granolah, Vegeta, Broly, Freeza, Gohan).

Who's the villian of the next arc & what explanation is going to be given for them having power on the level of Angels? Angel tier fights don't sound interesting to me anymore. After those kinds of battles, Goku will have no challengers left.

Will Goku disappear to train or something so the story can TRY to match up with the EoZ?

Will Goten, Trunks, & Marron hit their growth spurts within 3 yrs?

Will we get spin-off manga about other characters? PLEASE!? 🙏

Also DBS moved too quickly when it comes to power. Now we're at the point that Goku & Vegeta need to stop being involved in fights for there to be any actual threat or tension. The Buu saga took place in AGE  774. After training for 4 years of peace, Goku thought SS3 & fusion was his limits as a Saiyan and he was right. Well, kinda... Goku was introduced to god ki near the end of AGE 778. Then in AGE 781, Goku masters Ultra Instinct... He mastered an Angel technique in 2 year or 2.5 yrs. That was waaaay too fast. As a result the storytelling & writing are suffering from this rushed progress. Now we're gonna have an Angel tier opponent? According to the pattern of DBS, Goku's gonna end up surpassing the Angels within 2 or 3 yrs after learning god ki. Thats not impressive for Goku, that's terrible writing. And no, Goku getting this strong so fast is not a benefit to Saiyans either. It just shows us that without god ki, Saiyans ain't all that powerful unless they're the legendary Saiyan like Broly. Saiyans didn't even have a concept of training until Goku was trained by Earthlings. Gohan, Freeza, 17, & I'm pretty sure Piccolo as well have all surpassed SS3 without the help of god ki. God ki makes Saiyans look like they have limits. With god ki, the writing is broken....

I got off topic again... Anyways that's the end of my review.

[ryouverua]

Love Key #5 - Kaito Momota

Well SHIT it took way too long to start that Saimota train! I'm ready to hop in for the ride though too so CHOO CHOO GET OUT THE WAY

Wow it really didn’t get long for those Saimota vibes to get going!

Of course Kaito charges into this with his voice raised. Of course.

Have we... gone full shounen sports anime???

Shuichi is just thinking oh god what the hell am I about to compete in - if it’s wrestling I swear -

“I am nothing if not fully committed to whatever role I have thrust upon me! potentiallypunintended”

But man, Shuichi is determined to get his bearings ASAP. To what end, Shuichi? To what end? 

“Because I’m totally okay with it if you are. In fact, I think the genre we’ve shifted into requires a half-to-full episode of reminiscing about all the hardships we’ve overcome to get to this moment! Preferably via montage with our OP song playing in the background!”

“Kaito this is already an incredibly weird situation - please don’t get too meta on me, my poor bi heart can’t handle it.”

A fellow astronaut?

I think we actually were talking about the position Kaito would take as an astronaut, and pilot was mentioned as a strong possibility - so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see it up here! Yeah... hotshot pilot really does go well with Kaito’s character, doesn’t it...

“Kaito what the fuck are you talking about and who am I and -”

“Hold up fellow rival I’m totally monologuing right now ANYWAY AS I WAS SAYING -”

Honestly though does anyone else find it hilarious that Shuichi’s absolute confusion didn’t break Kaito’s immersion in the fantasy in the slightest?

I do love the word ‘eccentric’ for Kaito, because it honestly wouldn’t have been the first thing to come to mind for me - but I guess to Shuichi, who is so withdrawn in himself and anxious all the time, an aggressively positive extrovert who chases his ambitions and believes in himself/everyone around him so strongly would be a completely alien concept to him! I actually think that it’s the fact that Kaito believes in Shuichi so strongly, and not just in himself, that throws Shuichi off the most, too!

So, um, did you guys have judges giving you scores? Was this done in private or via actual accredited competition? It’s clearly not a traditional race based on speed, so...

Assuming this fantasy is one that’s being judged by other people (because once again I’m thinking about the fantasy scenarios way too seriously), I can sort of see this taking place in the hangar before they go into their planes. So Kaito spots his rival pilot and confronts him, because this will be their last time competing together and chances are he’s just realizing how significant the ‘rival’ pilot has been in his life.... hm ~ 

Oh! He’s getting serious!

It is their way of connecting. What else will they have once the competition is put to rest?

Kaito is going to have to confront the fact that all of the people he’s trying to nurture and help grow will be left behind once he goes into space, though. I... suppose this is hinting at that, just a little bit. He dreams big, but big dreams come with sacrifices.

But, of course, then he wouldn’t be able to ever achieve his dream of going to space.

S... Shuichi, you do remember that you aren’t actually the pilot he’s ‘talking’ to, right? It does seem significant that Shuichi is losing himself to the role, though. Has he done that in any of the other events? Minus Kokichi’s of course, considering the fact that Shuichi was himself in that one, I haven’t noticed anything on this level from the ones I’ve done so far. And with that said, you could easily read into it as Shuichi commenting on their training nights together. They do seem like the only times Shuichi has been legitimately happy - outside of his time with Kaede, of course.

Ah, that stings a bit. 8′D This is a pretty good reminder that, despite me loving the ship so much, Kaito’s perfect fantasy is not Shuichi - or at least, not Shuichi as he is now. Actually, I know the game is pushing for potential Maki!endgame but I think Kaede might fit the bill better. I remember noticing it a lot in the first chapter (and... uh, low-key shipping them tbh), but Kaito always seemed really impressed by Kaede, and whenever Kaito was about to chip in with what I imagined to be a big friendship/supportive-type speech about ‘never giving up!’ and ‘believe in your friends!’, Kaede would always beat him to the punch... and yet Kaito never seemed to feel threatened by her. They’re both pretty headstrong, and Kaede did strike me as being competitive in her own way - honestly, as a rarepair ship they would work really well together!

With that said, I can imagine Shuichi’s fantasy involving someone supporting them through all his worries (COUGHKAITOCOUGHKAEDE) so... you know. It almost feels like Shuichi is getting to live out a bit of his own fantasy situation right here - being in a position where he can hold his own against Kaito, and where Kaito recognizes him as an equal while still being his supportive self, with his eyes only on him...

also I feel like I should note, just because Shuichi isn’t Kaito’s ultimate ideal doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t be up there. In fact, I’d argue that Kaito’s big thing is raising people up to the level where they can be as confident in themselves as he is in them, and in himself. Maybe in the future when Shuichi reaches that level Kaito could see something more in him? okay maybe not in the game canon but post-game fan material wink wink nudge nudge guys plz

Ah, so he is able to move on. Whelp, Kaito is officially in a better mental state than me, hoarder of physical items, internet tabs and memories lmao

All jokes aside, it is pretty impressive to be able to work towards your goal with such determination. I can understand why Kaito could probably grate on a few people playing this, but I really find that sort of attitude impressive.

.... Quick question. Is Kaito saying ‘man’ as general slang or is he acknowledging Shuichi as a man? As in, Kaito is confirmed to be at least bi under the right (shounen) circumstances? I’M JUST ASKING... FOR SCIENCE...

Shuichi just remembered that he isn’t an actual pilot, huh. 8′D Just pilot with your mind, sweet cheeks! You already drive brain cars; surely a plan can’t be that big of a jump, right?

OH MY GOD I THOUGHT THE SCENE WAS NEARLY OVER BUT APPARENTLY NOT

I AM OKAY WITH THIS

Kaito really likes someone that can keep up with him energy-wise, huh?

Oooooomfg this is so shounen-genre it hurts

“My... ahoge... is so.... confused right now....!”

DID YOU REALLY ONLY JUST REMEMBER

I... I think this is the first time Shuichi acknowledged the bed itself as a tool of the room before actually interacting with it in any way lmao

Whoa Shuichi whOA

Oh yeah, this is definitely Kaito trying to provoke a reaction from someone he thinks will fight back, not an attempt at intimidation.

KAITO YOU HAVE TO BE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE

is it close enough for Shuichi to feel those scraggly goatee bits I don’t know why but his goatee will never not be funny to me

:O !!!!

This is basically the closest Kaito can get to a confession, huh?

It’s interesting to get it at this point, after the reveal of the disease he has. It’s another clear indicator that Kaito has trouble being honest with other people about vulnerabilities despite him doing his best to encourage other people to rely on him. And it’s strange, because he’s fully honest and eager about his own ambitions and passions! And love itself is a passion of sorts, but this is the type of thing that requires a certain level of vulnerability, and it’s also something where he doesn’t have full control over his destiny the way he does over his other goals - if the person doesn’t love you back, then there’s very little you can do about it. I hesitate to go so far as to say that he has a fear of rejection, but he definitely doesn’t want to be the one to say ‘I’m in love with you’ before the other person does, as far as I can tell...

“Quite literally, actually. See, look!”

But man, Shuichi is literally acknowledging the situation he’s in (dubious as it is lmao) and knows that there’s a 99% chance that Kaito wants to confess to his feelings to ‘him’. Shuichi, you do realize what a powerful position you have right now, right?

So I guess the question is whether Shuichi is hesitating because he doesn’t feel the same way, he just doesn’t want to take advantage of the situation... or whether Shuichi wants to earn that confession as ‘himself’, and not just as some fictional ideal manufactured by the power of the room they’re in. I suppose that depends on the viewer!

I’ve made it pretty clear that I’ve been shipping them for a while so, uh, you all probably know how I want to read it, but there is plenty of room for other interpretations too ~ they do have a fantastic bro-ship going on too!

Aaaah, Kaito :( I have a feeling that while he’d be willing to pursue a gay relationship with pilot!Shuichi, he understands how unusual that would be in ‘that world’. I wonder if that means he would be that open and understanding with his own sexuality if it ever came up in-game? He doesn’t seem to be struggling with his own feelings in the sense of ‘oooh ~ forbidden love ~’, but rather the idea of his rival’s own feelings being returned.

Between Kokichi’s love key and this one, Shuichi is a mess.

Ooh, maybe I was wrong? He’s psyching himself up to do a proper confession after all!

Well, adrenaline does have a way of ramping up all of your emotions! Aaaw, Kaito looks so excited! Rain or shine, rejection or no, he’s officially decided to come clean after all!

NO SHUICHI TAKE SOME INITIATIVE

This is the one issue they have in the game too - Shuichi is relying on Kaito to do all the emotional and communication-based heavy-lifting, and it means that Shuichi won’t press Kaito on the issues that need to be pressed in his attempt to stay in Kaito’s good graces. Aaah, I’m so worried about my boys...

“BE THE SHOUNEN RIVAL YOU WERE MEANT TO BE, SHUICHI!”

“I’m already being a stand-in for the original protagonist, what else do you want from me?!”

“It’s how I get turned on, okay?”

“It’s what - ?!”

“I-I mean fired up! Yeah, I totally meant fired up...!”

This is the gayest competition-based ship I’ve seen since Yowamushi Pedal’s Toumaki

You would like it to be that way, huh? Man, I do wish we could see some of the consequences of these nights in the interactions during the game, but I guess what would be super tricky to program and, uh, game-breaking... but I suppose that’s what fanfiction is for, right? 8′D

I really didn’t expect this to be so enlightening on the two of them as characters though, and their platonic relationship as well as their shipping potential! This may be up with Kokichi’s as one of my favourites ~