Volume 9
Special
Review
Yuki
follows Shuichi to New York in an attempt to bring him home.
Plus, an unexpected encounter with a person very closely
connected to Yuki Kitazawa...
Volume
9 of Gravitation has all the angst and revelation we've
come to expect, set against a background of chaos, lunacy,
and giant robotic pandas on the rampage in Manhattan.
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A
few weeks ago, I managed to lay my hands (if but temporarily)
on a long-coveted copy of Volume 9. Lots of heartstopping moments
in this one. I still feel so far behind the story though - c'mon,
Tong Li, speed up that publishing schedule!
Anyway,
while I didn't get to read through the entire manga (damn my inadequate
translation skills!), I managed to pick my way through some of
the more interesting scenes. Here are some of the scans I've put
together. Naturally, there are spoilers here.
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It's
this kind of picture that brings out the screaming fangirl
in all of us.
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Is it
just me, or is there something a little fey in Yuki's expression?
Maybe it's because he's just tried to throw someone off
a balcony...
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When
Yuki finally tracks down the one he is searching for:
Yuki:
"Shuichi... Come here."
Shuichi:
"No. It's too late. I've already made up my mind. I've
already decided to forget about you! So I'm not going!"
(And
while this dramatic confrontation is going on, Shuichi's
new producer Rage is watching with trepidation and uncertainty.
Suddenly, she bursts out, "All this time, I've been
thinking that 'Yuki' was a girl's name. Could it be... that
it's actually HIM?")
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| After
Yuki walks off, Sakano tries to convince him that it's not
too late:
Sakano:
"Shindo really loves you. No matter what you think
of him, he still loves you. If you're still human at all,
you must be able to tell how much he loves you!"
Yuki:
"Really? I can't tell. Because I'm not human."
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After
Yuki parts ways with Sakano, the young woman from the cafe
they were in chases after him on the street. She apologises
for interrupting their conversation earlier, but her attention
was caught when she heard them mention the name 'Yuki',
because that was her brother's name. Yuki, having told her
that it's his own name, tries to brush her off. But even
when he threatens her, the young woman is unperturbed.
Then
it slowly dawns on Yuki that this person looks familiar.
And
suddenly he realises why.
"You
said... your brother's name was Yuki."
The
young woman nods. "That's right. Yuki Kitazawa."
Eiri
Yuki stands frozen while memory rises in his mind like a
phantom.
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"Do
you remember me? Eiri."
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"You
can't have forgotten me.
Because...
You...
love me."
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| Now
this is a picture to break your heart. Eiri and his beloved
sensei in happier days. |
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Yuki
Kitazawa's younger sib, Yoshiki. (It seems that Yoshiki
used to be a boy... and now, very obviously, is not. Don't
ask me, I have no idea.)
For
some reason, I've grown to really, really like her. She's
cheerful and caring and wise and not put off by Yuki's foul
temper. She reminds me a lot of Shun from Here is Greenwood,
or Nuriko from Fushigi Yuugi - and not simply for the obvious
reasons. I think it's the indomitable genkiness combined
with that sense of ageless wisdom. Yoshiki reminds me a
bit of Death of the Endless from the Sandman comics too.
(If
they ever turn this part of the series into anime, they
have to ask Chika Sakamoto to be Yoshiki's seiyuu...)
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In Yoshiki's
apartment, Yuki finally breaks down:
"Damn
it! Why am I cursed with such a miserable fate?
I've
already come all the way here to New York for this damn
kid's sake.
What
does he want me to do?
What
should I do to make him come back to me?
I don't
know what I'm supposed to do!"
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Shuichi
realises that the crazy Americans he wants to escape are all
on the plane back to Japan with him... |
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A sketch
from the end of Volume 9. The Nakano brothers do Final Fantasy
VIII, aka Squall and Rinoa as you've never seen them before.
(I nearly killed myself laughing.)
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