Kiwaguro no Brynhildr (New manga by Elfen Lied's creator)

The other possiblity I can think of is He figure out that love makes them hatch or something and this is his way of breaking up with her. I would guess Murakami would be in on it.

"I'm sorry I ate you…"

Now that's an awkward thing to say.

Yeah, I suspect something like that too… because otherwise it would be an extremely trollish way of ruining a potentially okay couple. If it's serious, weeeell… it's really creepy.

I'll need to read the raw though.

Chapter 132! Back to more serious stuff after a few chapters of… of awkwardness?

Onodera sacrifices a precious Initializer just to teach Hrist a lesson. Yep, she's more horrible than Ichijiku alright.

Hrist seems far more sane than Mako… for the moment. And really, I don't want her to be broken. TT.TT Don't do that, Okamoto, please.

edited 9th Feb '15 2:25:42 PM by Lyendith

You know, ever since the arc with Mako and Ichijiku concluded, I've been getting the feeling that the manga's pacing has been... odd. Not unenjoyable, but a bit different from how it used to be. It feels like the story has many more plot threads than before, so let's count them up, shall we?

First off, there's the whole deal with delving more into Vingulf's overall existence. We've gotten some insight into how it was formed, its goals and its current research leader, Onodera. Vingulf's actual leaders are a more distant threat, so she'll probably be the arc's biggest antagonist. Aside from her, there's also Makina, who seems a bit unstable, and Hrist, who is trying to break out and destroy Vingulf. I figure she'll probably make it out somehow or be brainwashed into servitude temporarily only to break out of it later. It'd be nice if she joined up with the astronomy club, but somehow I doubt it'll happen. Opposing Vingulf is Hexenjagd, which seems to be working on something of their own to aside from just keeping an eye on the club or whatever.

There's a deal with Kogorou studying the flask Murakami gave him containing the alien. This is mostly unrelated from the rest, but I figure will become rather important after the current mini-arc is over.

The astronomy club in general is currently worrying over the fact that they might suddenly become monsters, and that's causing friction between everyone. Kana is worrying over improving her body and generally looking after the others; more importantly, there's also a deal with her sister and the black suit guy she rescued from the hospital. Kazumi Hatsuna has just been at the center of a mini-arc, so she doesn't really need elaboration. Most worryingly, right now there's a rift between Kazumi, Neko and Murakami due to a misunderstanding regarding what they all want from one another.

I hope this doesn't escalate badly right now. Things get messy when a generally tight group starts having internal conflict, and that's what's happening to the club right now.

edited 11th Feb '15 7:37:56 AM by Crinias

Well, it kinda felt like it was supposed to end when Mako died, but was popular enough to get renewed.

Kogorou has some sort of mini-alien from the flask also.

Neko is really the center of the internal conflict. Partly bc her whole reset thing doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The current conflict kinda felt forced. Which probably means they will be important somehow. My guess would be Neko running off and maybe meeting Hrist or something.

Both Hatsuna's dude turning into jerk for no apparent reason and Murakami's bizarre inabilty to deal with Neko are just making things odd.

Dunno, nothing was really resolved yet at the end of the Mako arc. But damn, I hadn't realized there were so many plot threads going right now... if Hrist manages to escape, I at least home she doesn't become another member of the astronomy club. Because, well, that would be one hell of a Game-Breaker on their side.

Err, new chapter already. Where Kazumi is fated to die. Again. And the comatose guy somehow escaped. :x I first thought it was Takaya...

I also don't really get why Hatsuna couldn't revive a witch who has melted when she can do that to herself.

edited 11th Feb '15 7:35:15 AM by Lyendith

The thing with Takaya does feel forced, but I think it's not so much that he suddenly turned into a jerk so much as he always had that insensible side to him, and we just didn't get a chance to see it. He was introduced as a tough delinquent who was surprisingly easy to embarrass with cute stuff, and he had several Pet the Dog moments which seemed to indicate he was a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, so when he started acting this way, it came off as jarring. But I bet Lynn was always planning on him having that side to him. He's a sneaky planner like that.

Murakami's easier to understand - he's always been super awkward with women in spite of his intelligence, and on top of that his feelings for Neko confuse him as to what exactly he wants.

About the new chapter: Hah, Hatsuna's right, Kazumi has had a lot of moments where she appears to die in foresights. I wonder how the hell Kurofuku got there, he was supposed to be mostly unresponsive last time we saw him. Anyway, this internal conflict will probably get solved after Kazumi gets rescued - there's just no way she'll die here, in this situation. Also, the chapter also seemed to address some of our doubts regarding Neko's memories and Murakami's feelings. Seems I was about right with Murakami. Neko's memories acting weirdly will definitely become more relevant later.

Maybe it's because she had to climb into her own Harnest to revive? I think it'd be harder to do the same for someone else? I really dunno.

I just watched the 12 episodes of this anime.

What the fuck this was so awfully done it's like ARMS was forced to create this anime at gunpoint.

I didn't end up watching the anime all the way, but yeah, it ended up being kinda rushed. As with all things, I'd suggest reading the manga.

It depends. Are the characters less bland?

Hum, if we talk about the astronomy club, they do get a bit more development in the manga (notably Kazumi), but the ones that the anime really butchered are those who appear after the Nanami arc (Hatsuna, Mako, Ichijiku, and the Hexenjagd bunch).

The anime is actually pretty faithful up until the 9th episode, but then it's like they suddenly remembered they only had 4 episodes left and started to rush everything, including the animation. To give you an idea, episode 1-9 cover volume 1 to 4. Episode 10-13 were supposed to cover volume 7 to 10. The result is a lot of nonsensical changes in the last arc.

edited 11th Feb '15 8:49:50 AM by Lyendith

Oh, chapter 134's out.

...Takaya, I'll give you credit for your honesty and a hilarious line to end the chapter on, but you're really making the manga's mood odd, or odder than it usually is.

edited 16th Feb '15 4:53:17 PM by Crinias

… Why do I feel like this last line is gonna become memetic? >.<

Err, are witches Made of Plasticine or is Kurofuku stronger than a human has any right to be? I mean, crap, he literally blew half of a head by just throwing a rock. ò.Ô Poor Kana constantly suffers horrible wounds since she regained her mobility.

Also… is it really possible to have your memories and personality completely unaltered after taking a bullet in the head?

I'm guessing it's a combination of Lynn exaggerating the artistic effect of a rock on the head and Kurofuku being pretty strong.

And yeah, it probably shouldn't be possible, but it's the case here anyway.

New chapter out.

"...But I didn't underestimate you... It's just that you disgust me from the bottom of my heart..." I get the impression Lynn is having trouble keeping the story's tone consistent.

Surprise appearance by Nanami! I totally forgot Kurofuku first appeared together with her. I don't think we'll have to worry for Kana, then.

… I'm almost admirative of how Okamoto always finds a way to make even the most serious dialogues go in a perverted direction. But I still wish he stopped to do that. That's 2 chapters in a row that build up a good tension and end on a weirdly hilarious note.

Still, I'm liking Kurofuku here. The drawings were a bit better than usual too.

He finally kissed Kazumi as opposed to being kissed, so why do I feel so sad ;_;

Just when I wondered when that memory notebook would pop up again, it has to reappear now of all times…

I'm not sure whether Murakami just wants to comfort Kazumi or has finally given up on Neko, but that was harsh either way. ;__;

I'm not sure Neko will start to like him again either. You can't bear the memories and feelings of another person just because that person happens to be the former you.

edited 20th Mar '15 1:44:05 PM by Lyendith

So, what's happened in the series since the new year?

Chapter 139…

……

………

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Chapter 141, where Murakami is having the time of his life with his new girlfriend, clearly.

And then, stuff happens. Neko is seen using her powers by a girl of her class, but doesn't notice her. Said girl almost dies in a car accident but is saved by Neko from a distance. Hatsuna is saying some ambiguous thing… not sure what to expect. Her face is certainly not reassuring.

I have the impression the drawings have suddenly improved in this chapter…

But god is the new Neko unlikeable. Where's the girl who sung superhero songs about herself?

edited 18th Apr '15 12:16:06 PM by Lyendith

Just read the chapter. After Kana asks her if she can help the girl, Hatsuna's saying: "Let me see... It's possible, as long as it doesn't matter if she's observed in public, ri~~ght?" So either she's saying she won't help because they're in public and could be seen, or they'll try to get her somewhere private to heal her.

Oddly, I had the same thought with the art, but it mostly seems just small details which have improved. Not sure if it's the shading, or the use of screentones, or some of the general expressions used.

I get the feeling the old Neko will probably come back at some point, or else the new one will grow less stoic over time.

edited 18th Apr '15 7:23:42 PM by Crinias

I sure hope she evolves in some way, even if it's to become a villain.

Chapter 143… seems this series became To Love-Ru Darkness while I wasn't looking. Hum, well, that was light-hearted filler chapter I guess. Or Okamoto's version of "light-hearted" at least (i.e. slightly creepy).

I'm not an expert but can you really have an orgasm with just that? —'.`—

edited 6th May '15 12:47:58 PM by Lyendith

I am no expert either, but from what I understand, it should be possible given the sensibility of women's bodies. I imagine that being stared at while it is happening must be an influencing factor, as well.

Anyway, it seems like we'll be getting more stuff with Kana's sister soon, maybe a meeting between the two.

Chapter 144… at page 15 I was preparing to post a rant about how the chapter was pointless and then came page 16. Okamoto, you so…ooort of got me there.

Now please, don't fuck this up with a "sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else" dodge, because I'll be angry.