Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Jcogginsa]

So, they're making a predator prequel for Hulu, called Prey. It's set 300 years ago, and is gonna be a bout a Comanche women trying to protect their family from a Predator

[Sharpandpointies]

Really enjoying this little bit in Jujutsu Kaisen.

The antagonist is not only smart and cunning, but perceptive and wary. And the protagonist is also showing their smarts and their adaptability in this situation, rather than simply powering through with physical ability or 'I won't lose!'. But that's kind of par for the course for this manga - I find the writing to be pretty solid and interesting.

[Sharpandpointies]

So, there was like a meme about Baki that went around years ago, pointing at Yujiro's jaw muscles and saying "how do you train your jaw muscles to become visibly jacked?"

The most recent chapter finally answers that question.

Jack's "Bite Fu," is a wonderful source of comedy gold. I look forward to seeing him lose after a big brawl as usual.

*checks it out*

Well, it's certainly very Baki. O_o

[Nik Hasta]

Really enjoying this little bit in Jujutsu Kaisen.

The antagonist is not only smart and cunning, but perceptive and wary. And the protagonist is also showing their smarts and their adaptability in this situation, rather than simply powering through with physical ability or 'I won't lose!'. But that's kind of par for the course for this manga - I find the writing to be pretty solid and interesting.

JJK is increasingly moving into HunterXHunter territory with how it feels in combat.

And that's no bad thing, when HxH was good, it was exceptionally good.

[Sharpandpointies]

JJK is increasingly moving into HunterXHunter territory with how it feels in combat.

And that's no bad thing, when HxH was good, it was exceptionally good.

Interesting. Never ready HxH. Might need to invest time in that, when I get the chance.

Your recommendations to me have been solidly good.

[Nik Hasta]

Interesting. Never ready HxH. Might need to invest time in that, when I get the chance.

Your recommendations to me have been solidly good.

HxH is an interesting series. Perhaps one day we will see the end ;_;

It starts off as pretty "generic shonen" in the early phases but after the first like... two major story arcs (Hunter Exam and Heaven's Arena) - it pivots in a more complex and interesting direction and wildly expands its cast and political complexity.

I think it's only fair to issue the warning that the the fourth major arc (Greed Island), in my opinion, absolutely fucking sucks and critically knee-caps the pace of the story. It is a bit of a slog though it does have some decent, if kinda gimmicky, fights in there. However, the arc that comes after is 1) massive and 2) the best the series has been, so it is worth pushing through.

Of note, the Nen system (the primary powers/abilities/combat system) that HxH runs on is pretty deep and very well realised. The series finds lot of ways to iterate on it without shattering any curves too hard. If you like the combat and feel of JJK, then latter period HxH should be quite interesting.

[Sharpandpointies]

HxH is an interesting series. Perhaps one day we will see the end ;_;

It starts off as pretty "generic shonen" in the early phases but after the first like... two major story arcs (Hunter Exam and Heaven's Arena) - it pivots in a more complex and interesting direction and wildly expands its cast and political complexity.

I think it's only fair to issue the warning that the the fourth major arc (Greed Island), in my opinion, absolutely fucking sucks and critically knee-caps the pace of the story. It is a bit of a slog though it does have some decent, if kinda gimmicky, fights in there. However, the arc that comes after is 1) massive and 2) the best the series has been, so it is worth pushing through.

Of note, the Nen system (the primary powers/abilities/combat system) that HxH runs on is pretty deep and very well realised. The series finds lot of ways to iterate on it without shattering any curves too hard. If you like the combat and feel of JJK, then latter period HxH should be quite interesting.

...okay, so I should REALLY check this out, then.

[Nik Hasta]

Huh, I didn't realise that HxH was a year younger than One Piece. For some reason, I'd always thought HxH was older.

[Dark Soul # 7]

Huh, I didn't realise that HxH was a year younger than One Piece. For some reason, I'd always thought HxH was older.

The added waiting time during multiple hiatuses probably has something to do with that.

[Nik Hasta]

*checks it out*

Well, it's certainly very Baki. O_o

As an aside, rereading the current series from the beginning the other night and this morning (it's only 104 chapters so not an arduous thing) I am a little shocked at how Oliva has been nerfed so hard.

Nomi no Sukune is introduced and he can both take hits from Oliva but also shatter his bones just through virtue of his grip strength. Oliva, in the Baki In Prison arc, was dude who could plough through multiple walls of rebarred concrete without really noticing and previously has been shot at point blank range with a shotgun and didn't care.

Sukune beats him clean and also eats a straight shot to the face with no issue.

Conversely, Baki drops Sukune with a single kick twice, once he sucker punched him, the second he was prepared. Sukune was knocked out pretty cold both times.

Yujiro also thumped him in the face and dropped him as well though Sukune remained standing.

I'm aware that Baki beat Oliva in his quest to get near to Yujiro's level but the difference was never this pronounced before. Oliva, in the previous series was always kind of booked as being "arguably the closest guy to Yujiro," in the series and now he's getting dropped by dudes who Baki and Yujiro treat basically like a non-entity.

[Sharpandpointies]

As an aside, rereading the current series from the beginning the other night and this morning (it's only 104 chapters so not an arduous thing) I am a little shocked at how Oliva has been nerfed so hard.

Nomi no Sukune is introduced and he can both take hits from Oliva but also shatter his bones just through virtue of his grip strength. Oliva, in the Baki In Prison arc, was dude who could plough through multiple walls of rebarred concrete without really noticing and previously has been shot at point blank range with a shotgun and didn't care.

Sukune beats him clean and also eats a straight shot to the face with no issue.

Conversely, Baki drops Sukune with a single kick twice, once he sucker punched him, the second he was prepared. Sukune was knocked out pretty cold both times.

Yujiro also thumped him in the face and dropped him as well though Sukune remained standing.

I'm aware that Baki beat Oliva in his quest to get near to Yujiro's level but the difference was never this pronounced before. Oliva, in the previous series was always kind of booked as being "arguably the closest guy to Yujiro," in the series and now he's getting dropped by dudes who Baki and Yujiro treat basically like a non-entity.

Older characters become punching bags for newer characters to show how awesome they are. It's a thing in fiction, and totally not confined to Baki.

[Nik Hasta]

Older characters become punching bags for newer characters to show how awesome they are. It's a thing in fiction, and totally not confined to Baki.

I think I just don't think I've seen a character get quite so aggressively dropped down a totem pole in a while. Oliva was literally the central antagonist of the story like three story arcs back, he was the big and imposing presence in the series and a wall that Baki had to overcome to be able to stand before his father as some form of equal and they had an absolute brawl that left Baki pretty flattened though victorious.

And now he's getting effortlessly dropped by dudes who Baki treats like an amusement.

I think it's less that Oliva lost to Sukune, or even that he lost badly. I think it's that Baki and Yujiro treated Sukune like trash that weirds me out. I mean, Yujiro - fine. He's the toppest of the top tier, no one has beaten him, even Baki only managed to get his respect rather than actually do anything to him. But Baki being able to handle Sukune like a chump just seems really weird given his previous interactions with Oliva.

Sukune should be as good as match for Baki and as Oliva was or, more likely, a closer match given how he utterly merked Oliva.

[Nik Hasta]

I guess, the Rumbles perspective on it is where is the low showing?

- Is Sukune beating Oliva so clean a low end showing for Oliva or a high end showing for Sukune?
- Is Baki dropping Sukune twice with ease a low end showing for Sukune or a high end showing for Baki?
- Is Baki struggling to beat Oliva a low showing for Baki or a high end showing for Oliva?

It's that puzzle that's in my head at the minute.

[Sharpandpointies]

I think I just don't think I've seen a character get quite so aggressively dropped down a totem pole in a while. Oliva was literally the central antagonist of the story like three story arcs back, he was the big and imposing presence in the series and a wall that Baki had to overcome to be able to stand before his father as some form of equal and they had an absolute brawl that left Baki pretty flattened though victorious.

And now he's getting effortlessly dropped by dudes who Baki treats like an amusement.

I think it's less that Oliva lost to Sukune, or even that he lost badly. I think it's that Baki and Yujiro treated Sukune like trash that weirds me out. I mean, Yujiro - fine. He's the toppest of the top tier, no one has beaten him, even Baki only managed to get his respect rather than actually do anything to him. But Baki being able to handle Sukune like a chump just seems really weird given his previous interactions with Oliva.

Sukune should be as good as match for Baki and as Oliva was or, more likely, a closer match given how he utterly merked Oliva.

Absolutely.

But I feel the author seems to be edging into territory of 'everyone is dirt to Baki' in their (the author's) mind, and all of the 'good' fights are the fights that lead up to whomever fighting against Baki (which ends in a total loss). And they've kind of 'forgotten' how much of a tough fight Olivia was for Baki before.

I guess, the Rumbles perspective on it is where is the low showing?

- Is Sukune beating Oliva so clean a low end showing for Oliva or a high end showing for Sukune?
- Is Baki dropping Sukune twice with ease a low end showing for Sukune or a high end showing for Baki?
- Is Baki struggling to beat Oliva a low showing for Baki or a high end showing for Oliva?

It's that puzzle that's in my head at the minute.

I would argue that by established feats, it's PIS for Olivia to get put down by Sukune so easily.

[Sharpandpointies]

Alternately, the writer doesn't bother keeping feats and capabilities clear in his head, and ends up writing whatever he feels is cool for the moment. I believe there were some similar issues during the Musashi arc, where everyone was getting murderized by Musashi, but that doctor-ninja dude suddenly got a whole lot better than he had been before and made an actual fight of it.