#also yay psykos called garou pure of heart!!! :'D

[the-nysh]

Ah, so Viz’s vol19 is finally out, and I had a few notes flipping through it!

First up, there’s no special extended dust jacket cover or insert art to make up for it like in the Japanese one. Even Murata’s beginning author note has the diagram explaining how it works for the 3 volumes, but it’s also lampshaded by saying ‘the Japanese covers are special.’ So welp, that’s Viz for ya by simplifying and cutting out features... There’s also no new original art for the character page (it’s the same reused panels and only slightly modified from vol18’s) or the fictional disclaimer page (previous vol had a cute one with Tareo holding the sign but now it’s blank with only text…)

The vol begins where the last Hot Pot chapter split off last volume (ending at Garou), resuming back at the HA for their raid strategies (excluding Genos and Bang) and soon returning back to Saitama’s apartment for the actual hot pot shenanigans. The split chapter (and vol) have been retitled: “All My Cabbage.”

Highlights from the hot pot scene include: how Murata draws everyone’s hands with different ink styles, so each one is distinct. :O The familiar competitive carnage over ‘Master’s Meat.’ Kuseno happy he gets to see different sides of Genos, and Bang asking Saitama where he went wrong with his philosophy for training pupils at his dojo. :’) And of course, Genos being so high-strung and stressed, he snaps at everyone (especially Fubuki) who mildly inconveniences Kuseno or Saitama, to the point he accidentally snaps at Saitama too! Damn, Genos. :’D

Omg that’s 3 times he directs his ire towards Fubuki here; he can’t stand her.

Next major highlight resumes back to Garou with his textbook BIG DAMN HEROES moment busting thru walls to Tareo’s cries for help and annihilating monstrous child predators on the spot! Wooo! 8D He even took a stab wound to the gut just to go for the kill for that, oh my.

Oh? This panel removed the gray toning and now has different bolder inking.

We also get the 4 redrawn Garou pages with some new classic Murata shots of him like this:

But my fav is finally seeing this redrawn page translated:

“(Because) I’m a monster.” :’)) Ohh that sullen mantra where he keeps having to tell himself that... (Very different from Royal Ripper’s delivery of the line.) But I also like it particularly for how Tareo’s question’s worded, because that’s just…🥺

...Wait Viz, what. For mowing down some hallway monsters and when he’s about to literally eat an arm, what does that even mean. It’s such an odd fluffy choice of words for him to say here.

Whoa Viz, WHAT?! I mean, I’ve seen translations where it’s to replenish his blood or put meat on his bones, but saying it like that (flesh hungry) just makes him sound like...a zombie or something. D: Welp that’s some tonal whiplash and he’s certainly disturbing the kid without trying.

Ah, and here’s how they worded the tsundere scene. Where he clearly reacts, but denies how he cares and awkwardly deflects why he even came there in the first place. (Claiming it’s just for revenge huh...) When (yes he does care, and lol yes he did help Tareo) all other evidence proves otherwise. :P Also hilariously, Garou then immediately proceeds to help/escort/protect him in the scenes right after this, despite all his attempts to avoid/deny it. Garou pls. 

Yaaay. :D (Also another fun tidbit, but for the character page and back cover story summaries, Tareo’s described as not simply the boy who likes heroes, but rather, ‘the boy who admires Garou’ instead. Ahh cute. :’3) 

Course, further shit hits the fan once Rover (lit. translated as Pochi) intervenes.

And whew;; that’s some pretty harsh tact. It’s the same ‘what do I care’ wording as the previous tsundere scene from before (oh and hey, now he admits he saved Tareo’s life too), but this time, Garou’s gotta be purposely mean so Tareo runs away from him with the chance to escape, all while Garou jumps in leeroy jenkins style to distract Rover as the SACRIFICIAL DECOOOOY!!! (Even yelling at Rover like, ‘Nuh-uh! Keep your eyes on me!’) 

Ahh! The cola line’s still immortalized! 8′D (Same deal for him, as he thinks it’s the end among his final thoughts, but he still pops back with the will to go on~)

His ‘sit’ command to Rover has an additional ‘sit, doggy’ to it...which is another case of Viz somehow wording things fluffier for him again... (Similarly of note, but every time shit happens they’d have Garou exclaim a rather vague/mild ‘uh-oh..’ Just let him say shit like the dub would have done!)

Soon he drops in to meet Psykos Gyoro-Gyoro, and...

Nice. It’s been several times now the MA’s tried to butt in, assuming they know what he wants or what’s best for him. His NO should be resoundingly clear!

*reels back* Whoaaoa yikes! D8 Oh god, it’s practically the same thing that Royal Ripper said to Tareo! Oh my god, Psykos is a predator too! Abort abort!!! (Immediately before this she also admitted to abusing many humans/monsters.)

Meanwhile, Viz can hit some lines well, but other times they’ll loosely translate things like this (brace for it):

....scchhh;; Ugh yeah, no. That’s a miss. I knew they’d shoot themselves in the foot for over-simplifying Metal Bat’s fighting spirit concept before, cause now for the actual call-back it just sounds lame calling it that. Anyway, Garou’s got his own strength of will/fighting spirit here for resisting Psykos’ psychic powers.

Also, the badass ‘spiderman’ pose is translated as “so it’s hunting time!” which is...not bad. (Could be cooler like ‘the hunt is on’ versions I’ve seen.)

Ah, and these panels were redrawn. Now she snaps her fingers and the ceiling’s eye patterns glow to transform the room for Orochi.

The battle vs Orochi proceeds (Garou calls it facing first a dog monster now a ‘worm boss’) and ooh, this page is good! :D

...But this panel’s another lol for a random literal ‘gasp.’

...OHHHHHH!!! She calls Garou pure of heart! 8′D Omigosh yes, I was waiting to see how this would be translated! Also calling out those internal contradictions of his (which are quite apparent) and eyuauah, her sinister plans to brainwash him;;;

The volume ends here where Saitama opens the manhole, and parking Garou for now until he awakens next time!

For the bonus chapter, we hilariously get a Saitama going meta with his head stuck in fiction while ignoring reality~

(Some interesting things he says about the protagonist and antagonist tho, oho!)