I'm really sorry I couldn't be there for this one, man. Something came up and it was basically an emergency. But I'm here now and I'll leave all my thoughts down below: 1:50 You think that someone who is well versed in most, if not all, of Makoto Raiku's works has ideas about his latest series that are WORTH something? Now that's just nonsense! xD 2:55 Yeah, it was surprising to see all the books just take off like that... that's a pretty big indication that they ARE in fact alive again, and Kiyomaro is basically responsible for bringing them all back to life LOL The books were literally like "Get the heck out of dodge, we've got a job to do!" 3:03 Nice, you are officially the FIRST RUclipsr to call her Zahra now that we've finally made that change. I'm so glad Raiku showed us her name in Arabic, because we really needed that one cleared up. 3:23 Apollo GENESIS!!! Double the shock value because they showed his last name for the first time in canon! It makes it pretty apparent now that Raiku really does stick to what he says on his blog... I'm super excited to see him again and to see how much he hasn't changed xD 3:40 That's cool! I never would've got that lol And yeah, I think the mummies are just gonna be taken and held in... I don't know, maybe a cargo hold or something of Apollo's plane. 4:25 This was such a jarring discovery.... This body perfectly resembles Gash, so I feel like Raiku will have to explain this away with either magic.... or time travel. 4:41 That is a SOLID point, wow.... I never put 2 and 2 together and realized that Gash referring to his brooch might have some connection with Raiku giving it so much detail in his new drawing for the exhibit! 5:10 Yeah, I'm pretty sure that had to be his dad. It was also cool to see the King's scepter, which is apparently different from the King's wand that we saw in Gaiden. 5:20 Yes, in the same way that he mysteriously received letters one day, I'm pretty confident that the spell books gave him that too. It's so funny to think about, you're the king of the world and then you never know when you're gonna wake up one day to find random presents; literal gifts from the gods. 6:14 YOU HAD YELLOWTAIL FOR THE OCCASION???? How was it??? Would you render an entire ecosystem extinct to have some??? xD 6:28 Yeah, I glanced and saw the number "19" on the Japanese raw page, and I thought to myself "That is a very specific number... do not tell me that's Gash's age right now..." LOL But yes, Kiyomaro thought Gash would be 14 based on his APPEARANCE.... sadly, it sure seems like Kiyomaro never bothered to learn Gash's actual age in the series. 6:45 Wish I could've been here, and I'm pretty mad that I had to deal with something that I shouldn't have had to, but it is what it is. We live and we learn, and all I can do is make the most of it here and now. 7:33 Yeah, that was brutal of Raiku lol Makes it that much harder to pinpoint any ages. The funny thing is, I think he did this on purpose to make for an ideal time skip. Most of the mamodo were kids and the partners were generally in their late teens, or adults. If Kiyomaro says Gash should be 14, then let's combine this with the fact that Hige looks no different... FOLGORE looks no different... and Kiyomaro, who was a teen at the time still going through puberty, appears to be in his 20's now based on how physically fit he is, and Zahra did say he was young for a professor. This all makes me believe that it's very likely that only 6 years passed by in the human world... Gash would have gone from 8 to 14 if he aged in human years, and most people on Earth wouldn't have changed all that much... because if we had mamodo growing up at the same rate as their partners, then the mamodo would grow to an ideal age range and the partners would become a little TOO old to realistically be able to stay in the fight. Gash being 19 is an ideal age for him because he's basically all grown up... while Kiyomaro being 23 is an ideal age for him because he's not a teen anymore but he's also not getting on in years and is still in a condition to battle. That's my take on it at least. 8:58 That's such a funny sibling rivalry bit for Raiku to play with... xD But it was great to learn that Zeon just dove headfirst right into the danger; I think we ALL knew he wasn't going to surrender without one hell of a fight. But he also might be doing covert operations instead... we'll have to wait and see! 9:17 YES, thank goodness.... I really didn't think they'd actually be all right so soon. I thought there'd be a big mission or something in which they'd revive all those demons that Gash used his inherited spell on, but I guess Raiku wanted to give us peace of mind sooner rather than later. 9:33 This is definitely a risk Raiku appears to be taking now that he's able to make all the executive decisions... It's important for a series to feel like it's not predictable in terms of plot armor, and that's a problem that a lot of Shonen series' have. With the spell book elimination system, you could at least feel the pain of departure even if the mamodo didn't actually undergo a traditional character death. But now... well, how is Raiku going to keep things believable whenever it seems like there's no way out for our untouchable heroes? 12:23 Right, I think the point is that they're just paying their respects, however Raiku wants to go about it. 12:28 Gash winking at Mippy was just so.... WHAT?? LOL WHAT DOES THIS DOG KNOW THAT WE DON'T??? LOL This is not just some joke xD If it was a single panel, then maybe, but it was a glance and then a wink. That MEANS something. ROFL People are taking this to outlandish places, but I think the bottom line is that Mippy is involved in Gash's overall plan more than he let on. In some capacity.
13:25 This segue was FANTASTIC... I was waiting for something like this to happen and it did not disappoint! 13:53 Baou in a tank was a real surprise, because I was almost positive that the beast in the sky that stole away all the spells WAS some kind of corrupted Baou... But nope, the Baou we know and love is right there! The latest attraction at the zoo LOL 14:48 Based on his name alone, I'm pretty sure that this guy is Raiku's intended final boss, at least for now. I'm not sure how he can up the ante past this one, as Beliel (pronounced Bee-LEEL) is quite literally an incarnation of the devil. 15:24 A Gravirei, or perhaps a Radisu??? For all we know, Beliel could be the father of Seven Note, who spawned Clear Note. There's almost definitely some kind of connection here based on their equally celestial motifs, but time will tell! 15:56 Yes, it seems our Big Bad is in the business of reanimating his underlings to ensure their loyalty and his own absolute control over them. Not unlike how Zofis revived the ancient mamodo actually. But Raiku seems to be handling this concept with a lot more carefully woven mystery, as he's now more experienced as a mangaka. 16:19 Beliel referred to Waig as a "thing", which leads me to believe that he used to be a man-made golem, as you said. But it's hard to say if animating something that wasn't alive in the first place can be seen as reviving something that was once dead... and then there's the matter of Waig's human form... Where did that come from I wonder... 17:21 I've seen people make comparisons to Beliel's eye resembling that of Zofis, but I don't think there's a connection. It's just how Raiku draws demonic, villainous eyes imo. But it does resemble Waig's core more than anything else. It's basically Zofis' eye with 4 points protruding from the inner iris. Waig's core looked similar, but it was just the four points if anything. It was easy to mistake it for a screw. 17:39 I remember seeing the raw pages for that double page spread and thinking "Ah yes, I love Zatch Bell.... I mean hyper-realistic concept art backdrops... wait, this IS supposed to be here, right?" It looks admittedly VERY out of place.... but still cool as hell, and visually stunning. 18:42 Yeah, I recently saw a reddit post comparing the LotR place with the spread, and there's no doubt that was the source of some inspiration. 19:41 That's hard to tell, because recall that the mamodo world's design had an enormous random, glowing orb in the center of its main tower for seemingly no reason. This might just be how Raiku designs his magical locations, but I could be wrong. 20:04 Oh, I would bet money that this was the work of one of Raiku's assistants. We even learned from volume 1's credit page that his assistants mainly handle the set pieces and I think whoever made the ravaged mamodo world panel probably made this as well... or it was perhaps a guest artist. 20:46 This was a great scene that I think is another telltale Raiku writing decision... Toei Animation could never write this themselves lol 21:01 It DOES feel that way LMAO This freaking scene was so short and SO great.... LOL Hige, so confident that now that the battle ended years ago, there is NO WAY that Kiyomaro must have his spell book anymore, and seems to be, like... taking a victory lap and trying to pour salt in the wound, and he has no idea that Kiyomaro, by some hilarious miracle, DOES have the book back at this point in time. I love it so much xDDD 21:34 Hige being Egyptian makes an annoying amount of sense.... lol He absolutely looks like he could pass as one and I'm upset with myself for having never noticed that xD 22:00 Yeah, that was a classic Raiku move too... xD In a similar style as the Hige moment that just happened. A character comedically being wrong about something they're so sure about, when the reader knows better and how wrong those characters really are. That book on Zahra's desk was not Gash's... it has fewer textured lines than the red book does, so that book is a different color entirely. And I agree, Zahra would make an excellent book owner! It seems like Raiku learned from the fan reception of Suzume and decided to bring in a character with a similar role in the overall plot, and then upgrade her to a human partner... something he never did for Suzume that a lot of fans would have enjoyed. 23:54 Yeah, this chapter was chockfull of answers and references LOL It was like a treat for the fans, even more so than the other chapters were so far! 24:26 I can totally picture Debi Derryberry's dub Zatch voice saying that matter-of-factly, "He was the first one to run away!" and then Kiyo's reaction LMAO Made even funnier by ZATCH'S OWN nervous reaction LOL That was just all too perfect.... 24:45 Kanchome likely ran away right after he got his spells stolen. I can picture a flashback where he's ready to charge into battle, saying "Put 'em up! Put 'em up!" like the cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz. When all of a sudden, his spells are sucked into the stratosphere, and then he just peaces out LOL 26:00 Ooh, that's interesting. I hadn't picked up on that. I can totally see what you mean though! 26:44 I honestly thought it started feeling real when we saw Kiyomaro appear, but maybe that's just me lol It just gets more and more real with each new chapter it seems! 28:23 Folgore's hair has a life of its own at this point, and I will stand by that belief xD And yeah, imagine my surprise when I realized I was about to have to try and scanlate ChiChi wo Moge..... LMAO There's no real right way to do it... I almost went with putting "Breasts, Boobs, and Knockeeers! Boing Boing!" but decided to say Screw it, everybody knows this song's beat by how it sounds in Japanese, so let's just leave it in Japanese. And I think that was the right call. 28:59 I honestly have no idea who she's referring to... she could have said "demon" OR "demons", it's not specified in her choice of words. We see the plane overhead as it cuts to Italy, so I think Gash, Kiyomaro, and co. were on that plane... and that this new villainous duo might just know that this is where Zelie, Olmo, and Mippy are now. But it could also mean Kanchome is nearby, we don't have enough information to tell yet. Halfway finished, I'm gonna have to continue tomorrow but I'm looking forward to it! :D
- The bodies might just be magical mannequins that take the form of whatever mamodo gets brought into the sarcophagus. I have a feeling we'll probably see this happen whenever we get more mamodo coming back that way. -Zatch's dad being small is also another example of something from Raiku's blog then being bought into the actual series - if you ignore it happening in the semi-canon Gash Cafe, of course. - I have no idea if we're going to see the books actually interact with the characters in this series, but it is interesting to consider everything that's happening given that we know they have agency now. Like them choosing Zahra. "Well, the king's partner seems to trust her so...." - The sushi that the Yellowtail was in was actually amazing, maybe the best I've ever had. There were a LOT of flavors in it and the yellowtail was just one of them. It came with this crazy lime sauce that combined with the spicy mayo on the sushi itself was really something special. I'm sure the yellowtail contributed to all that in some way :P - So are you saying that you think time moves at different speeds in the human and mamodo worlds? - Zeno Gear Solid would be pretty hilarious to see. - I am leaning towards Mippy actually being important, though something I didn't mention is that his appearances in this chapter might be little apologies from the team for forgetting him a couple months ago :P - Beliel being the final villain is yet another thing that makes predicting how long this series will be a very difficult thing to do. - I would love to see a Clear Note connection though I'm still not super confident there will be one. - It's somewhat disheartening to know that not everything we see is Raiku's own work, but he doesn't try to hide it. I hope he's at least writing 100% of the story and dialogue. - In regards to Zahra's book...well, like I said previously, if the books are picking new partners, and one is already a friend of Kiyo's....Then maybe Suzume...? - The cowardly lion is perhaps an apt thing to compare Kanchome to in that situation...The cowardly hippo? - I agree that not translating chichi wo moge was the correct thing to do. Unlike "unu", it's something every fan knows at this point.
29:33 I'd love it if Waig's species were homunculi, that'd be a pretty streamlined explanation for sure. Considering Beliel recently said Waig was more of a "thing" than a sentient being before his creation, it would make a lot of sense. 30:26 I'm not sure, I mean... Gash seems to know he has the body of a 14-year-old based on his slower aging, but is aware that he's had 19 birthdays. You know, considering Gash turned 9 at the end of Gash Cafe #16, I'm starting to think 10 years might have passed after all... Gash at 19 years old, that's a very specific choice for his age to be... 30:52 Yeah, Zahra's a fantastic addition because we got to see how she started out as a supporting character, and now we'll see how she became upgraded to a book owner! Love that idea for her. 31:42 I totally agree. And I'm dying to see what this monster form is and whether or not it can ALSO be tied to some sort of biblical angel like Waig and Gill... Two is a coincidence but THREE.... that's a pattern. 32:45 YEAH.... It totally could have ended after we saw Baou... And yep, it just keeps going, and going, and going LOL So many people on Makai thought that it ended with Folgore's ChiChi wo Moge song, and it was such a pleasant surprise to see that there were STILL 2 more pages! 34:16 I agree, something about this storytelling format... it seems to combine the villain of the week with the later elements of the series, where enemies are just too powerful to bring down too quickly. 34:36 He certainly does! I wonder if he has a checklist or something when he's writing them out... It's like he said "no battle this chapter, and we're done with introductions, so let's fill this chapter with everything else!" and the fans lost their minds lol 35:25 Oh, I think all the mamodo in the sarcophagi are specifically from the previous battle, because Sahil planned for this and knew that they would need human partners. Either that, or their human partners could possibly change... Zofis tried to force mamodo into the battle and the spell books had nothing to do with it, so they didn't help him out. What if it's just as Kiyomaro speculated before he died to Riou... maybe there are multiple human partners, not just the one? That would still make them hard to find, but they would exist, and the spell books can help out this time and just launch themselves to the destined partners since this is a crisis situation. Albert is a pretty convincing example of this... 36:08 Yes, YES, YES!!!!!!!! That parallel was the PERFECT way for Raiku to handle the sequel if he wanted to start it with Gash being "dead"! Talk about returning the favor! 36:25 Yep, the concept of never underestimating humans was prevalent in the original Zatch Bell 1 series as well. Sherry said it quite plainly when she threatened to ruin Brago's chances to become king and outright told him "Never underestimate humans and don't forget it!" 36:49 I really don't think Kiyomaro ever knew how old Gash really was during their time together. Because I can't stop thinking that if Gash was 8 at the end of the series, and then turned 9 during Gash Cafe #16, then that means him being specifically 19 now could be because Raiku wanted a 10-year time jump. And Gash turning his nose up and saying that demons age differently really felt like he was making excuses to justify why he looks younger than his peers... It's just so hard to tell. 38:23 I feel like it must have been him, OR, there are others with similar appearances, and Beliel has defining features that make it obvious that he's the one in charge... like how it is with the Squid Game villains for example. The bracelet worn by the figure that is placing the card on the wall is identical to the ones that Beliel is wearing... but at the same time, Beliel definitely looks bulkier than the character placing the card down, so it COULD just be a similarly dressed minion for all we know. 39:05 I think Beliel is essentially like Trigon from the Teen Titans series in the 2000's. Based off of a Satanic figure, even though they won't outright say it, but the viewers/readers all KNOW that it's supposed to be a devilish figure. That's the vibe I get from Beliel. He's not THE Belial... but Raiku wants us to know that he's the Zatch Bell equivalent of one. What sells it for me is his claim that Waig and Gill were once dead... and he treats Gill like he's nothing special, so that strongly implies that all of his demon hunters are cut from that same cloth, as do all of the many cards on the walls. It sounds like something a fallen angel would do in order to assert dominance and false reverance. 39:29 I think so too, which begs the question of HOW he'll ever be able to do that when Baou feeds on darkness and corrupts the user's soul if their intentions aren't pure... Honestly, the only way I can see this happening is if Raiku pulls a dark messiah with this guy and makes it so his intentions are righteous... and if he thinks he's purifying the world or something by ridding existence of demons if they're a perceived evil, then he can probably get away with giving him that narrative in the story. 39:48 I can't wait to see that happen. Gash creating his own friendly Baou xDDD 40:14 That was funny, yeah, but I thought it was nowhere near as funny as when Kiyomaro just randomly opened up the bottle of Gash's spells and poured it onto the pages with him having no indication whatsoever of how any of that worked..... ROFL 40:49 If I had to guess... Mippy probably is just a secret agent and he can probably talk, but has chosen not to until the time is right. But WHY??? Gash, stop leaving us in the dark xDDD 41:20 Yeah, it really does! It's so heartfelt and I'm glad so many fans were able to see this day! :D 41:41 Yes, Dauwan was normal-sized during Gash's coronation ceremony as well, because he was standing right alongside Queen Bell and Zeon. His design was identical to the man in that panel who had the scepter and was basically knighting Gash with it. 42:26 A concert being attacked? Gosh that takes me back LOL It's not Zatch Bell without an otherworldly enemy showing up to take care of unfinished business by threatening a kickass concert full of bystanders! 42:30 Imagine if Megumi tried to distract Maruss by singing! LMAO 43:00 Right, the only reason I can't picture Kanchome having all of his spells is because of how Gash and Kiyomaro reacted to knowing that they need to go find him. Gash was basically acting like they had to go rescue him... which wouldn't be the case if he still had his spells, since he's a reality warper. He might have Poruku, but that's it. 43:24 Well, the interesting thing here is that even if Kanchome DIDN'T have a mummy... all of the white books are blank slates, belonging to no one yet. Once a human partner picks up one of the books and they gain color, that's when they're assigned to the mamodo in question. So I do think Folgore will find a book when he least expects it, and it will become the book he needs to get Poruk back. 45:50 I was fully prepared for it to just be Gill and a million Waigs, just like Nomu from MHA... so I was REALLY pleasantly surprised when we learned that Raiku's STILL got character designs to spare even after making SO MANY after ALL THIS TIME.... It'll really help the series stay on its feet! Although we'll still have to see if the girl also transforms into a cyclops like Waig. 47:12 This could be Gash's chance to unlock that electric wings spell that he had in the cover art for the chapter where he battled Pamoon! 48:08 I don't know what you mean, dude, you picked the stride back up in no time for this video. I think by maybe 2 or 3 minutes in! If you're saying you could have done even better, than I look forward to seeing that for chapter 8! :D 48:54 Ah, yes! I have a video coming out about that in the near future, so I hope you'll tune in and enjoy! It's such a surreal experience, and even more so when you realize that every book in the series... in every situation... the proplica book is an exact replica of all of those, just colored red. 49:33 HYPED for this, you have no idea! LOL It's been a long time coming, not that that's a bad thing at all. lol But the suspense is crazy! WHAT does the overall fandom agree with the most??? This was a fun and VERY in-depth discussion, you covered everything and then some! And while I deeply regret being unable to make it during the stream itself, I'm just glad I'm able to share my thoughts here in the comments section! :D
I'm really sorry I couldn't be there for this one, man. Something came up and it was basically an emergency. But I'm here now and I'll leave all my thoughts down below:
1:50 You think that someone who is well versed in most, if not all, of Makoto Raiku's works has ideas about his latest series that are WORTH something? Now that's just nonsense! xD
2:55 Yeah, it was surprising to see all the books just take off like that... that's a pretty big indication that they ARE in fact alive again, and Kiyomaro is basically responsible for bringing them all back to life LOL The books were literally like "Get the heck out of dodge, we've got a job to do!"
3:03 Nice, you are officially the FIRST RUclipsr to call her Zahra now that we've finally made that change. I'm so glad Raiku showed us her name in Arabic, because we really needed that one cleared up.
3:23 Apollo GENESIS!!! Double the shock value because they showed his last name for the first time in canon! It makes it pretty apparent now that Raiku really does stick to what he says on his blog... I'm super excited to see him again and to see how much he hasn't changed xD
3:40 That's cool! I never would've got that lol And yeah, I think the mummies are just gonna be taken and held in... I don't know, maybe a cargo hold or something of Apollo's plane.
4:25 This was such a jarring discovery.... This body perfectly resembles Gash, so I feel like Raiku will have to explain this away with either magic.... or time travel.
4:41 That is a SOLID point, wow.... I never put 2 and 2 together and realized that Gash referring to his brooch might have some connection with Raiku giving it so much detail in his new drawing for the exhibit!
5:10 Yeah, I'm pretty sure that had to be his dad. It was also cool to see the King's scepter, which is apparently different from the King's wand that we saw in Gaiden.
5:20 Yes, in the same way that he mysteriously received letters one day, I'm pretty confident that the spell books gave him that too. It's so funny to think about, you're the king of the world and then you never know when you're gonna wake up one day to find random presents; literal gifts from the gods.
6:14 YOU HAD YELLOWTAIL FOR THE OCCASION???? How was it??? Would you render an entire ecosystem extinct to have some??? xD
6:28 Yeah, I glanced and saw the number "19" on the Japanese raw page, and I thought to myself "That is a very specific number... do not tell me that's Gash's age right now..." LOL But yes, Kiyomaro thought Gash would be 14 based on his APPEARANCE.... sadly, it sure seems like Kiyomaro never bothered to learn Gash's actual age in the series.
6:45 Wish I could've been here, and I'm pretty mad that I had to deal with something that I shouldn't have had to, but it is what it is. We live and we learn, and all I can do is make the most of it here and now.
7:33 Yeah, that was brutal of Raiku lol Makes it that much harder to pinpoint any ages. The funny thing is, I think he did this on purpose to make for an ideal time skip. Most of the mamodo were kids and the partners were generally in their late teens, or adults. If Kiyomaro says Gash should be 14, then let's combine this with the fact that Hige looks no different... FOLGORE looks no different... and Kiyomaro, who was a teen at the time still going through puberty, appears to be in his 20's now based on how physically fit he is, and Zahra did say he was young for a professor. This all makes me believe that it's very likely that only 6 years passed by in the human world... Gash would have gone from 8 to 14 if he aged in human years, and most people on Earth wouldn't have changed all that much... because if we had mamodo growing up at the same rate as their partners, then the mamodo would grow to an ideal age range and the partners would become a little TOO old to realistically be able to stay in the fight. Gash being 19 is an ideal age for him because he's basically all grown up... while Kiyomaro being 23 is an ideal age for him because he's not a teen anymore but he's also not getting on in years and is still in a condition to battle. That's my take on it at least.
8:58 That's such a funny sibling rivalry bit for Raiku to play with... xD But it was great to learn that Zeon just dove headfirst right into the danger; I think we ALL knew he wasn't going to surrender without one hell of a fight. But he also might be doing covert operations instead... we'll have to wait and see!
9:17 YES, thank goodness.... I really didn't think they'd actually be all right so soon. I thought there'd be a big mission or something in which they'd revive all those demons that Gash used his inherited spell on, but I guess Raiku wanted to give us peace of mind sooner rather than later.
9:33 This is definitely a risk Raiku appears to be taking now that he's able to make all the executive decisions... It's important for a series to feel like it's not predictable in terms of plot armor, and that's a problem that a lot of Shonen series' have. With the spell book elimination system, you could at least feel the pain of departure even if the mamodo didn't actually undergo a traditional character death. But now... well, how is Raiku going to keep things believable whenever it seems like there's no way out for our untouchable heroes?
12:23 Right, I think the point is that they're just paying their respects, however Raiku wants to go about it.
12:28 Gash winking at Mippy was just so.... WHAT?? LOL WHAT DOES THIS DOG KNOW THAT WE DON'T??? LOL This is not just some joke xD If it was a single panel, then maybe, but it was a glance and then a wink. That MEANS something. ROFL People are taking this to outlandish places, but I think the bottom line is that Mippy is involved in Gash's overall plan more than he let on. In some capacity.
13:25 This segue was FANTASTIC... I was waiting for something like this to happen and it did not disappoint!
13:53 Baou in a tank was a real surprise, because I was almost positive that the beast in the sky that stole away all the spells WAS some kind of corrupted Baou... But nope, the Baou we know and love is right there! The latest attraction at the zoo LOL
14:48 Based on his name alone, I'm pretty sure that this guy is Raiku's intended final boss, at least for now. I'm not sure how he can up the ante past this one, as Beliel (pronounced Bee-LEEL) is quite literally an incarnation of the devil.
15:24 A Gravirei, or perhaps a Radisu??? For all we know, Beliel could be the father of Seven Note, who spawned Clear Note. There's almost definitely some kind of connection here based on their equally celestial motifs, but time will tell!
15:56 Yes, it seems our Big Bad is in the business of reanimating his underlings to ensure their loyalty and his own absolute control over them. Not unlike how Zofis revived the ancient mamodo actually. But Raiku seems to be handling this concept with a lot more carefully woven mystery, as he's now more experienced as a mangaka.
16:19 Beliel referred to Waig as a "thing", which leads me to believe that he used to be a man-made golem, as you said. But it's hard to say if animating something that wasn't alive in the first place can be seen as reviving something that was once dead... and then there's the matter of Waig's human form... Where did that come from I wonder...
17:21 I've seen people make comparisons to Beliel's eye resembling that of Zofis, but I don't think there's a connection. It's just how Raiku draws demonic, villainous eyes imo. But it does resemble Waig's core more than anything else. It's basically Zofis' eye with 4 points protruding from the inner iris. Waig's core looked similar, but it was just the four points if anything. It was easy to mistake it for a screw.
17:39 I remember seeing the raw pages for that double page spread and thinking "Ah yes, I love Zatch Bell.... I mean hyper-realistic concept art backdrops... wait, this IS supposed to be here, right?" It looks admittedly VERY out of place.... but still cool as hell, and visually stunning.
18:42 Yeah, I recently saw a reddit post comparing the LotR place with the spread, and there's no doubt that was the source of some inspiration.
19:41 That's hard to tell, because recall that the mamodo world's design had an enormous random, glowing orb in the center of its main tower for seemingly no reason. This might just be how Raiku designs his magical locations, but I could be wrong.
20:04 Oh, I would bet money that this was the work of one of Raiku's assistants. We even learned from volume 1's credit page that his assistants mainly handle the set pieces and I think whoever made the ravaged mamodo world panel probably made this as well... or it was perhaps a guest artist.
20:46 This was a great scene that I think is another telltale Raiku writing decision... Toei Animation could never write this themselves lol
21:01 It DOES feel that way LMAO This freaking scene was so short and SO great.... LOL Hige, so confident that now that the battle ended years ago, there is NO WAY that Kiyomaro must have his spell book anymore, and seems to be, like... taking a victory lap and trying to pour salt in the wound, and he has no idea that Kiyomaro, by some hilarious miracle, DOES have the book back at this point in time. I love it so much xDDD
21:34 Hige being Egyptian makes an annoying amount of sense.... lol He absolutely looks like he could pass as one and I'm upset with myself for having never noticed that xD
22:00 Yeah, that was a classic Raiku move too... xD In a similar style as the Hige moment that just happened. A character comedically being wrong about something they're so sure about, when the reader knows better and how wrong those characters really are. That book on Zahra's desk was not Gash's... it has fewer textured lines than the red book does, so that book is a different color entirely. And I agree, Zahra would make an excellent book owner! It seems like Raiku learned from the fan reception of Suzume and decided to bring in a character with a similar role in the overall plot, and then upgrade her to a human partner... something he never did for Suzume that a lot of fans would have enjoyed.
23:54 Yeah, this chapter was chockfull of answers and references LOL It was like a treat for the fans, even more so than the other chapters were so far!
24:26 I can totally picture Debi Derryberry's dub Zatch voice saying that matter-of-factly, "He was the first one to run away!" and then Kiyo's reaction LMAO Made even funnier by ZATCH'S OWN nervous reaction LOL That was just all too perfect....
24:45 Kanchome likely ran away right after he got his spells stolen. I can picture a flashback where he's ready to charge into battle, saying "Put 'em up! Put 'em up!" like the cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz. When all of a sudden, his spells are sucked into the stratosphere, and then he just peaces out LOL
26:00 Ooh, that's interesting. I hadn't picked up on that. I can totally see what you mean though!
26:44 I honestly thought it started feeling real when we saw Kiyomaro appear, but maybe that's just me lol It just gets more and more real with each new chapter it seems!
28:23 Folgore's hair has a life of its own at this point, and I will stand by that belief xD And yeah, imagine my surprise when I realized I was about to have to try and scanlate ChiChi wo Moge..... LMAO There's no real right way to do it... I almost went with putting "Breasts, Boobs, and Knockeeers! Boing Boing!" but decided to say Screw it, everybody knows this song's beat by how it sounds in Japanese, so let's just leave it in Japanese. And I think that was the right call.
28:59 I honestly have no idea who she's referring to... she could have said "demon" OR "demons", it's not specified in her choice of words. We see the plane overhead as it cuts to Italy, so I think Gash, Kiyomaro, and co. were on that plane... and that this new villainous duo might just know that this is where Zelie, Olmo, and Mippy are now. But it could also mean Kanchome is nearby, we don't have enough information to tell yet.
Halfway finished, I'm gonna have to continue tomorrow but I'm looking forward to it! :D
- The bodies might just be magical mannequins that take the form of whatever mamodo gets brought into the sarcophagus. I have a feeling we'll probably see this happen whenever we get more mamodo coming back that way.
-Zatch's dad being small is also another example of something from Raiku's blog then being bought into the actual series - if you ignore it happening in the semi-canon Gash Cafe, of course.
- I have no idea if we're going to see the books actually interact with the characters in this series, but it is interesting to consider everything that's happening given that we know they have agency now. Like them choosing Zahra. "Well, the king's partner seems to trust her so...."
- The sushi that the Yellowtail was in was actually amazing, maybe the best I've ever had. There were a LOT of flavors in it and the yellowtail was just one of them. It came with this crazy lime sauce that combined with the spicy mayo on the sushi itself was really something special. I'm sure the yellowtail contributed to all that in some way :P
- So are you saying that you think time moves at different speeds in the human and mamodo worlds?
- Zeno Gear Solid would be pretty hilarious to see.
- I am leaning towards Mippy actually being important, though something I didn't mention is that his appearances in this chapter might be little apologies from the team for forgetting him a couple months ago :P
- Beliel being the final villain is yet another thing that makes predicting how long this series will be a very difficult thing to do.
- I would love to see a Clear Note connection though I'm still not super confident there will be one.
- It's somewhat disheartening to know that not everything we see is Raiku's own work, but he doesn't try to hide it. I hope he's at least writing 100% of the story and dialogue.
- In regards to Zahra's book...well, like I said previously, if the books are picking new partners, and one is already a friend of Kiyo's....Then maybe Suzume...?
- The cowardly lion is perhaps an apt thing to compare Kanchome to in that situation...The cowardly hippo?
- I agree that not translating chichi wo moge was the correct thing to do. Unlike "unu", it's something every fan knows at this point.
29:33 I'd love it if Waig's species were homunculi, that'd be a pretty streamlined explanation for sure. Considering Beliel recently said Waig was more of a "thing" than a sentient being before his creation, it would make a lot of sense.
30:26 I'm not sure, I mean... Gash seems to know he has the body of a 14-year-old based on his slower aging, but is aware that he's had 19 birthdays. You know, considering Gash turned 9 at the end of Gash Cafe #16, I'm starting to think 10 years might have passed after all... Gash at 19 years old, that's a very specific choice for his age to be...
30:52 Yeah, Zahra's a fantastic addition because we got to see how she started out as a supporting character, and now we'll see how she became upgraded to a book owner! Love that idea for her.
31:42 I totally agree. And I'm dying to see what this monster form is and whether or not it can ALSO be tied to some sort of biblical angel like Waig and Gill... Two is a coincidence but THREE.... that's a pattern.
32:45 YEAH.... It totally could have ended after we saw Baou... And yep, it just keeps going, and going, and going LOL So many people on Makai thought that it ended with Folgore's ChiChi wo Moge song, and it was such a pleasant surprise to see that there were STILL 2 more pages!
34:16 I agree, something about this storytelling format... it seems to combine the villain of the week with the later elements of the series, where enemies are just too powerful to bring down too quickly.
34:36 He certainly does! I wonder if he has a checklist or something when he's writing them out... It's like he said "no battle this chapter, and we're done with introductions, so let's fill this chapter with everything else!" and the fans lost their minds lol
35:25 Oh, I think all the mamodo in the sarcophagi are specifically from the previous battle, because Sahil planned for this and knew that they would need human partners. Either that, or their human partners could possibly change... Zofis tried to force mamodo into the battle and the spell books had nothing to do with it, so they didn't help him out. What if it's just as Kiyomaro speculated before he died to Riou... maybe there are multiple human partners, not just the one? That would still make them hard to find, but they would exist, and the spell books can help out this time and just launch themselves to the destined partners since this is a crisis situation. Albert is a pretty convincing example of this...
36:08 Yes, YES, YES!!!!!!!! That parallel was the PERFECT way for Raiku to handle the sequel if he wanted to start it with Gash being "dead"! Talk about returning the favor!
36:25 Yep, the concept of never underestimating humans was prevalent in the original Zatch Bell 1 series as well. Sherry said it quite plainly when she threatened to ruin Brago's chances to become king and outright told him "Never underestimate humans and don't forget it!"
36:49 I really don't think Kiyomaro ever knew how old Gash really was during their time together. Because I can't stop thinking that if Gash was 8 at the end of the series, and then turned 9 during Gash Cafe #16, then that means him being specifically 19 now could be because Raiku wanted a 10-year time jump. And Gash turning his nose up and saying that demons age differently really felt like he was making excuses to justify why he looks younger than his peers... It's just so hard to tell.
38:23 I feel like it must have been him, OR, there are others with similar appearances, and Beliel has defining features that make it obvious that he's the one in charge... like how it is with the Squid Game villains for example. The bracelet worn by the figure that is placing the card on the wall is identical to the ones that Beliel is wearing... but at the same time, Beliel definitely looks bulkier than the character placing the card down, so it COULD just be a similarly dressed minion for all we know.
39:05 I think Beliel is essentially like Trigon from the Teen Titans series in the 2000's. Based off of a Satanic figure, even though they won't outright say it, but the viewers/readers all KNOW that it's supposed to be a devilish figure. That's the vibe I get from Beliel. He's not THE Belial... but Raiku wants us to know that he's the Zatch Bell equivalent of one. What sells it for me is his claim that Waig and Gill were once dead... and he treats Gill like he's nothing special, so that strongly implies that all of his demon hunters are cut from that same cloth, as do all of the many cards on the walls. It sounds like something a fallen angel would do in order to assert dominance and false reverance.
39:29 I think so too, which begs the question of HOW he'll ever be able to do that when Baou feeds on darkness and corrupts the user's soul if their intentions aren't pure... Honestly, the only way I can see this happening is if Raiku pulls a dark messiah with this guy and makes it so his intentions are righteous... and if he thinks he's purifying the world or something by ridding existence of demons if they're a perceived evil, then he can probably get away with giving him that narrative in the story.
39:48 I can't wait to see that happen. Gash creating his own friendly Baou xDDD
40:14 That was funny, yeah, but I thought it was nowhere near as funny as when Kiyomaro just randomly opened up the bottle of Gash's spells and poured it onto the pages with him having no indication whatsoever of how any of that worked..... ROFL
40:49 If I had to guess... Mippy probably is just a secret agent and he can probably talk, but has chosen not to until the time is right. But WHY??? Gash, stop leaving us in the dark xDDD
41:20 Yeah, it really does! It's so heartfelt and I'm glad so many fans were able to see this day! :D
41:41 Yes, Dauwan was normal-sized during Gash's coronation ceremony as well, because he was standing right alongside Queen Bell and Zeon. His design was identical to the man in that panel who had the scepter and was basically knighting Gash with it.
42:26 A concert being attacked? Gosh that takes me back LOL It's not Zatch Bell without an otherworldly enemy showing up to take care of unfinished business by threatening a kickass concert full of bystanders!
42:30 Imagine if Megumi tried to distract Maruss by singing! LMAO
43:00 Right, the only reason I can't picture Kanchome having all of his spells is because of how Gash and Kiyomaro reacted to knowing that they need to go find him. Gash was basically acting like they had to go rescue him... which wouldn't be the case if he still had his spells, since he's a reality warper. He might have Poruku, but that's it.
43:24 Well, the interesting thing here is that even if Kanchome DIDN'T have a mummy... all of the white books are blank slates, belonging to no one yet. Once a human partner picks up one of the books and they gain color, that's when they're assigned to the mamodo in question. So I do think Folgore will find a book when he least expects it, and it will become the book he needs to get Poruk back.
45:50 I was fully prepared for it to just be Gill and a million Waigs, just like Nomu from MHA... so I was REALLY pleasantly surprised when we learned that Raiku's STILL got character designs to spare even after making SO MANY after ALL THIS TIME.... It'll really help the series stay on its feet! Although we'll still have to see if the girl also transforms into a cyclops like Waig.
47:12 This could be Gash's chance to unlock that electric wings spell that he had in the cover art for the chapter where he battled Pamoon!
48:08 I don't know what you mean, dude, you picked the stride back up in no time for this video. I think by maybe 2 or 3 minutes in! If you're saying you could have done even better, than I look forward to seeing that for chapter 8! :D
48:54 Ah, yes! I have a video coming out about that in the near future, so I hope you'll tune in and enjoy! It's such a surreal experience, and even more so when you realize that every book in the series... in every situation... the proplica book is an exact replica of all of those, just colored red.
49:33 HYPED for this, you have no idea! LOL It's been a long time coming, not that that's a bad thing at all. lol But the suspense is crazy! WHAT does the overall fandom agree with the most???
This was a fun and VERY in-depth discussion, you covered everything and then some! And while I deeply regret being unable to make it during the stream itself, I'm just glad I'm able to share my thoughts here in the comments section! :D