#blue lock chapter 262

[lunarcloak]

Blue Lock Chapter 262: Visual Storytelling

Can we talk about the visual imagery this chapter?? Kaneshiro is always cooking but Nomura cooked extra hard this time with his own illustrative storytelling

An almost entirely white panel. Except for the black spot of Kaiser's hunched figure. Almost as if he's the stain on an otherwise perfect game from BM right now. (He's thrown off balance.)

Here, in the first picture, this is Isagi's view of where Kaiser is right now. On top of a puzzle piece— a symbol of Isagi's power, and also a symbol of how off kilter he is. The second picture is part of a larger paneling of how he's being left on the ground as Isagi runs past him in a flurry of puzzle pieces. Almost as if Isagi's kicking the pieces of his perfect puzzle astray, leaving him to rebuild them from scratch. (The theme of this chapter.)

You can tell he's only barely listening. Eyes are always a huge indicator of visual storytelling— i picked this up from looking at BSD panels for too long. Here there's virtually no pupils, smaller, wider eyeballs because he's not listening to Ness's words. They're going in one ear out the other. Because Ness's words are superficial— He's trying to help, he is, but that is desperately NOT what Kaiser needs right now. He needs to figure out how to FIX this. Not to retreat back into the safety of his cocoon so that he can pretend he's still the star on the field.

NOTICE HOW EVERYTHING IN THE SECOND PANEL CAN DIRECTLY BE RELATED TO ISAGI. The offer from Reale— what if Yoichi gets it instead of me? The throne in this team— what if Isagi takes that, too? Am I about to lose everything I worked to get myself? The whole world is watching my worst performance in years. I can't lose here. I can't be defeated here. Not here, of all places, in Blue Lock.

Negative colouring. The previous, prominent memory I have of this is when Rin went to his "flow" state. It's specifically to emphasise the "HUMAN" wording. It's usually used to showcase a very prominent moment, in this case it's Kaiser realising exactly what the core of his worry is right now. It isn't the defeat, not beating Isagi, not anything. At the moment, he's afraid of losing the very humanity he had thought he clawed himself into. To emphasise this, the black and white being reversed are to indicate that time almost freezes, completely changing his perspective and line of thought at that moment.

Less dramatic, still negatively scaled panel. Emphasising how he's really digging into his psyche here and going "Oh, I'm scared. I'm afraid of losing everything I've got for myself." The last time this happened was when his secret money stash was found— he didn't care as much then, because there was nothing to lose that he hadn't already lost. But now? Now, it matters a lot more. Because he's built himself up on an entirely shaky foundation. Note how he's also sliding below here, losing his footing, like he's lost the stable ground he thought he had.

The angle of this panel makes it look like he's climbing upwards, and he's just lost his grip on the wall before him, and is in the process of falling. It's extremely well done.

Plenty people have already pointed this one out— yeah Isagi's just reached a height that's similar to Noa's. The position Kaiser thought he used to have, but now he's not even on the staircase to victory and the treasure he thought he would attain soon is now inching towards his most challenging rival to date.

You will never see him this tired, this defeated, or this melancholic ever again. At this point, his eyes are no longer that wide, shocked stare of not seeing. Now he's comprehended his stance, and he's come back into himself.

Each petal is a memory, a visual representation of the crumbling of the rose he once held. It's gone now, there's no rose in his hand anymore (nothing for him to hold onto anymore). When you have no roses in hand, you grow a new bouquet. When you have nothing, there's nothing to lose if you go reaching for something to hold onto again.

But HERE, the petals can be interpreted in two ways— either he's being reformed from the petals of a new rose (blank petals, not representative ones). OR, you can interpret it as those very petals dissipating from his being, leaving him as this black, blank slate to rebuild himself. Zero— as in no colour, no petals, no gardens to flourish anymore. Only way to move now is up.

Also I'd like to draw your attention to the negative paneling again— inverted this time, the exact opposite of the previously conveyed emotion. Now he's the one in the black, working to redefine himself. He's already redefined the external aspects.

Your Zero— Your Beginning. I LOVE this page, even if it's a repeat. It conveys so much. Kaneshiro and Nomura are such a GOOD TEAM

A black hand clasps around the core memory— the memory of when he truly had only his football. He can't let that petal float away, that's one he wants to keep. That's the idea he wants to hold onto. He crushes the petal into his hand, assimilating it into his new beginning. That's the one he'll hold onto, to recraft the person that is Michael Kaiser.

[galaxynajma]

KAISER REFERRING TO HIMSELF BY HIS FIRST NAME 

Wow those panels …

[bydxsign]

[agnesandhilda]

this was my first thought unfortunately

[cloverandstuff]

I was about to say that every popular ship in Blue Lock is reciprocated....except KaiNess.

But I reached chapter 262, and after the rollacoaster it was, I can attest KaiNess is not unrequited.

Very unhealthy, very one-sided, but not unrequited.

Kaiser's mindset is stuck on survival mode, and fixed on familiarity.

He replicates the behaviour of his father, because he doesn't want to risk anything else. He's selfish because he finally gets to be, and he wants to take full advantage of that.

But out of everything he's scared to lose, Ness is the only person there. He, despite his lonesome mindset, is scared of losing Ness.

I don't know wha happens next, but this asshole is so fucking interesting. Probably my favourite to analyse out of everyone here. An abuser born out of abuse.

[aeruia]

karasu tabito dating hcs?

⌕. BLUE LOCK

↻. KARASU TABITO DATING HCS !

hcs on what would i think if he started dating you :3

pairing/s : karasu tabito x reader

warning/s: nothing, ooc i guess 😓

word count: 262

note: i still haven't finished bllk manga yet and I'm a forgetful person so i read a few chapters (to get to know the character more 😭) and so i can do this req 🥹 this took too long since i’ve busy :< also my first time doing a hcs :0

before you both are dating, i feel like you and karasu just don't know each other or just ignore each other's existence.

you only noticed him when you saw isagi with him, shocked that isagi knew karasu and after that you greeted each other and that's where you both started talking

he did the first move but when the conversation ended then he wants to talk to you more he will probably try those misclicking emojis and then tries to talk with you again 😭

he would probably never admit that he has a crush on you on anybody and just keep it to himself but if you confessed your feelings first he would be all “ i know that from the start “ just to hide how flustered he is 💀

okay so when you both started dating he would act all cool in front of his friends, flexing you off everything he can do when inside he's actually wanna be all shy and hide behind you.

can talk about you all day if anyone asks him. he looks like he doesn't care or whatever but when someone asks just a small detail about you that's the only thing he'll talk about.

idk if this just me but i think if you're talking shit about someone he would make side comments about that person even if he doesn't know a thing about them 💀

overall, if you and karasu started dating it would be fun and also a lot of dates would be planned. ( all of you guys budget are wasted in dates but it's fun )

04.08.24 // ©aeruia

[mchlksr]

i didn't like kaiser in the beginning, but that changed after he acknowledged isg in chp. 203. i didn't expect it tbh. as the story progresses, he becomes one of my favorite bllk characters and i think he is the best rival isg has had so far.

We Listen We Don't Judge: Blue Lock Edition.

Hi! Before 2024 comes to an end, lets do the 'We Listen, We don't Judge' trend! You can either reblog this post or reply to this post. Please be civil, everyone!

[mineral-vulture]

Chapter 250-262 of Blue Lock or Chapter 259-262. Actually any time Kaiser got one upped by Isagi is this.

I was inspired by seeing this comic which inspired by this comic I KNEW I had to draw Ness and Kaiser as this because well this is their dynamic...well WAS until their break up.

[nenekobasu]

i'm not moving on from ch.262 even if i move on from ch.262 blue lock could be on chapter fucking thousand and i'll still be on that ch.262 juice but kaiser said pwease uwu.

[lunarcloak]

God. I really don't want to comment much until the chapter fully drops, but oh my god. There's so much potential here.

Kaiser is redefining his existence, trying to figure out what is the root of everything he wants. Obviously he's still a traumatised teenager who barely has any idea of what it is— hence the somewhat unhealthy interpretations even now— but he's making progress. Honestly? I didn't think he would this fast, but I think Kaneshiro is doing a good job of making it development in a very Kaiser-like way.

As @/miyamiwu said on the post here (you're always cooking such good theories, thank you for inspiring me), his development has to first fix the root of the problem.

At the moment, he's focusing on the Egoistical aspect— this is not wrong, this is also something he needs to do. But it's superficial— he still needs to figure out his issues with himself, and the way he views himself. It's got to do with love, his trauma with his father and with how he views football. It's got to do with the more human aspects of Michael, rather than Michael Kaiser the football prodigy.

He has such deeply rooted self esteem and existential issues because he doesn't believe he's enough without the ability to make himself a stark presence on the field.

I think the zero idea is lovely though. He really does need to think about everything from a grass root level. I hope he does it right.

[galaxynajma]

Isagi really is giving Kaiser “PTSD”

[bydxsign]

[miyamiwu]

Translations

Thoughts on translation and language + my own translations

Last updated: Nov. 10, 2024

General

On the translation industry

Expressing intimacy in Chinese with 家的

Difficulties in translating a poem from Tagalog to English

Accents in Translation

Translating 妖怪 (yāoguài)

Codeswitching between two closely-related languages

Blue Lock

Gigil: Defining how I feel about Michael Kaiser from Blue Lock

Chapter 262 translation discussion

Tensai (Genius) vs Shusai (Talented Learner)

Danmei Novels & Adaptations

My big danmei novel translation projects are on my website. The ones posted here are just snippets.

I Upended Yet Another Campus Urban Legend: Translating the number zero to be close to the protag’s name

Mermaid Effect: You are my friend

Mermaid Effect: Extras snippets

My Boyfriend Is a Heartthrob, while I Am just a Passerby: Summary

The Cat’s Inheritance: Sparta’s Poem on Miwu

The Widowed Immortal Lord’s Kitty is Missing: I can no longer be Ji Chenguan, but I can still be the blade of the Underworld

(more danmei translation snippets on my sideblog: danmeiblr)

Donghua Originals

God Troubles Me

S1E2: Tianji calling Su Moting “Ting-ge” and not just “Ting”

Link Click

Lu Guang calls Qiao Ling “older sister”

ShiGuang’s name containing characters from the title

S1: Killing vs Killing innocent people

S2: The message behind the photo

Music: Break’s English lyrics vs official Chinese translation

Other Media

The Lovers by Studio Heartbreak: Note on the trailer subtitles

Di Na by Kurt Fick: Lyrics translation (incomplete)

Pabili Kendi by Panginoon ng Kababawan: Tiktok translation

For more translation stuff: #miyamiwu.tl

For English translations of Philippine media: @ph-translations

[agnesandhilda]

"don't worry!! even if you fail in this game you'll still have me :D"

"as previously stated if I lose this game then I have NOTHING"

[thomasroach]

Death End Re;Quest Chapter 7 Guide

The post Death End Re;Quest Chapter 7 Guide appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Death End Re;Quest Chapter 7 Guide, I’ll be going over the path to clear the seventh chapter of the game and it’s boss. Death End Re;Quest is a unique RPG game that merges the typical JRPG and allows players to convert it into a fighting game, shooter, or even a slot game. There are other subtle quirks that the game possesses that will be simple to execute but difficult to master.

Death End Re;Quest Chapter 7 Guide

For Chapter 7 of Death End Re;Quest, players will be returning to an area they know well, Rizaria Forest. This area was the location you explored in Chapter 4, and will be the main focus in Chapter 7. Be careful as all the enemies you met previously, have now been leveled up. Use type advantages to avoid being counter action-ed against and to deal a decent amount of damage.

Monsters in Heartis Palace (East & West Wing)

Dias 22,600 HP 50 SP ★ Stars Type

Apochi 7,840 HP 15 SP ☾ Moon Type

Tagrika 12,540 HP 20 SP ☾ Moon Type

Femodas 18,520 HP 10 SP, ★ Stars Type

Miasupa 60,600 HP 25 SP ☀ Sun Type

Bugnus Cube 20 HP 15 SP ☀ Sun Type

Timous 19,270 HP 15 SP ★ Stars Type

Wilarlia 36,480 HP 30 SP ☀ Sun Type

Yapshi 12,235 HP 25 SP ★ Stars Type

Tudei 3,254 HP 10 SP ☾ Moon Type

Doggi 13,965 HP 15 SP ☾ Moon Type

Laforio 25,870 HP 20 SP ☀ Sun Type

Rizaria Forest (Village Entrance)

Warp to the Village Entrance to pick up an obtainable item during our last trip here. From the camp, make a right, cross the long light bridge, then make a left. Lucil’s Specto Search will be needed to reveal a hidden bridge that will allow players to obtain the Bug Wings. Head back to the camp and warp to the Village Depths.

Rizaria Forest (Village Depths)

Exit the camp and interact with both ! to progress the story. Use the save point back at camp and switch to the real world to experience a cutscene with Rin. Afterwards its time to log back into World’s Odyssey to continue your journey.

Cross the bridge, make a right to travel over another bridge, and make a final right to reach the teleporter at the end of the path. Enter it, avoid the enemy that spawns close to you and grab the chest nearby. The chest contains 1 Lethal Bow (200 HP, 155 ATK). To the right of the chest lies 1 Dark Elf’s Guidance. Use Al’s Armo On environmental ability to safely cross the 2 poison bogs to acquire another 1 Dark Elf’s Guidance. Use the newly possessed keys to open the 2 wooden doors that leads to chests and teleporters. There will be 1 Conte Buil (600 HP, 212 ATK) behind the first wooden door and another Dark Elf’s Guidance behind the second wooden door.

Walk back to the first teleporter you passed on your way to the first wooden door and enter it. Bypass the enemy in front of you and obtain the Chaos Phonspear (300 HP, 172 ATK, 80 DEF). Open the wooden door then use Shina’s Spider Rodeo ability to reach the Vincent Magia (184 ATK, 130 DEF, 90 MAT). Jump down and enter the teleporter to the left. Travel straight to enter the next teleporter. Pick up the Dark Elf’s Guidance and take back the light blue teleporter to get back to the area with the locked wooden door and where you used Shina’s ability. Use the save point, obtain the Purple Fang Drive (166 ATK, 50 MAT) enter the teleporter to reach the next area. Take the right teleporter to create a shortcut back to the camp of Village Depths. Use this to heal up your party and save if needed. Head back to the 2 teleporter room and take the left one to create a path that leads to the last Dark Elf’s Guidance. Backtrack to the lone savepoint and open the final gate that leads to a shared graveyard. Get ready to fight 2 bosses back to back, so gear up for the challenge. Players will fight Al Astra, Lone Survivor of the Beast Clan in glitch mode.

Al Astra, Lone Survivor of the Beast Clan in Glitch Mode

Al will absolutely destroy your party if you don’t pay attention to types. Luckily its uncommon for players team to have 2 ★ Stars Types in the lead team. (Lily & Celica) Attacking her with ☾ Moon type characters and skills will cause her to auto counter your attack. Fight Al with ☀ Sun and ★ Star Types skills for the best advantage.

2154 HP 50 SP ☀ Sun Type 100% Corruption

For my party composition I used Shina, Lucil, and Celica. Have Shina use Trally Bloom, Ahewave, Achewave to power up Shina’s magic attack while dealing damage to Al. Celica should use Hone Power, Astate, Astate to power up Celica’s physical attack to deal even more damage to Al.  If you want to know more about each characters strengths and weakness check out our Death End Re;Quest All Girls Guide. Defeating Al grants players 24,000 Exp, and 1 Ultra Ogre Brew.

Al Astra Redux

Players will fight Al a second time right after she was defeated first. In this fight she is more aggressive using Sol Lance often so avoid grouping your team in a circle nearby each other.  I used Shina, Lucil, and Celica in a triangle-esque formation to avoid Sol Lance from injuring more than 1 girl. Celica’s triple Aster Plaza will decimate Al’s Health. If Al survives your attempts, finish her with Lucil’s triple Phoenix Ray. Defeating Al for the second time grants players 28,800 Exp, and 1 Ultra Ogre Brew.

3054 HP 50 SP ☀ Sun Type 100% Corruption

Rizaria Forest (Village Depths)

After saving Al proceed to the green teleporter and interact with the ! pick up Russian Nesting Doll. Swap to Arata in the real world and travel to the Night Owl to progress the story. Once you finish watching the cut scene, head back to World’s Odyssey. Unlock the wooden door to your left, then enter the teleporter, and interact with the ! to finish the chapter with some cutscenes. Make sure to pick up the Magenta Quartz (300 HP, 190ATK, 60 MAT, 60 MDF) before leaving the forest.

Following this guide you will have successfully saved Al and obtained the Rizaria Forest’s Terminal Stone!

In this chapter you will be able to access new shop wares, below you’ll find the items, their cost and their benefits:

Shop Wares

Patch 1.o

Costs 200 Eni

Heals 100 HP

Patch 2.o

Costs 200 Eni

Heals 300 HP

Patch 3.o

Costs 6,600 Eni

Heals 600 HP

Patch 4.o

Costs 10,000 Eni

Heals 1000 HP

Elf Tonic

Costs 600 Eni

Heals 100 SP

High-Elf Draught

Costs 5,000 Eni

Heals 999 SP

Enolef’s Ether

Costs 12,000 Eni

Heals 999 SP to those in range

Ogre Cold Brew

Costs 420 Eni

Fully revives all units within range

Panacea

Costs 100 Eni

Removes all debuffs and status effects

Bug Tentacles

Costs 50,000 Eni

Bug Wings

Costs 50,000 Eni

Bug Exuvia

Costs 50,000 Eni

Rain Sword

Costs 38,600 Eni

200 ATK, 100 MDF, 60 AGI

Limit Sword

Costs 17,200 Eni

150 ATK, 100 DEF, 60 MAT, 10 MDF

Levon Sword

Costs 12,000 Eni

145 ATK, 50 MAT, 100 MDF

Zirconia Magia

Costs 8,400 Eni

102 ATK, 40 MAT

Spinal Sword

Costs 7600 Eni

87 ATK

 Calcolsmagear

Costs 600 Eni

9 ATK, 40 MAT

Petro Wing Bow

Costs 35,400 Eni

133 ATK, 60 AGI

Sister Mana Cross

Costs 36,400 Eni

111 ATK, 30 MAT, 60 MDF

Alpha Wing Bow

Costs 14,800 Eni

77 ATK, 40 AGI

White Fang Drive

Costs 11,000 Eni

100 HP, 66 ATK, 50 MAT

Alba Bow

Costs 7,400 Eni

100 HP, 66 ATK

Green Fang Drive

Costs 6200 Eni

70 HP, 33 ATK, 50 MAT

Bulti Bow

Costs 1000 Eni

150 HP, 22 ATK

Cyan Quartz

Costs 48,000 Eni

200 HP, 170 ATK, 60 MAT, 60 MDF

Grim Horn

Costs 39,000 Eni

200 HP, 166 ATK, 42 AGI

Branch Phonspear

Costs 16,800 Eni

200 HP, 132 ATK, 60 MAT, 60 MDF

Fifty Degrees

Costs 9,400 Eni

150 HP, 117 ATK, 60 DEF

Yellow Quartz

Costs 8,000 Eni

125 HP, 45 ATK, 60 MAT, 60 MDF

Sakuhon Spear

Costs 6200 Eni

50 HP 20 ATK, 60 DEF

Viostar II

Costs 26,000 Eni

150 ATK, 100 DEF, 60 MAT, 10 MDF

 Goldfinger

Costs 8,400 Eni

150 SP, 180 ATK

Akari Iron

Costs 5,200

125 SP, 48 ATK

 Viostar

Costs 5,200

150 SP, 5 ATK, 5 DEF

 ZPS-100

Costs 5,200 Eni

100 SP, 35 ATK, 100 MAT

Passable Enze

Costs 37,000 Eni

50ATK, 110 MAT, 145 MDF, 60 AGI

Stella Evil

Costs 22,000 Eni

500 HP, 172 ATK

 Dementation

Costs 19,000

200 HP, 100 ATK

Beast Fang

Costs 70,000 Eni

262 ATK

Proto Infinity

Costs 54,000 Eni

85 HP, 52 SP, 178 ATK, 45 DEF, 62 MAT, 35 MDF

Royal Buster

Costs 36,000 Eni

32 SP, 103 ATK

Magic Bracelet Lv 7

Costs 40,000 Eni

70 DEF, 140 MDF

Magic Bracelet Lv 6

Costs 31,000 Eni

60 DEF, 120 MDF

Magic Bracelet Lv 5

Costs 20,000 Eni

50 DEF, 100 MDF

Magic Bracelet Lv 4

Costs 12,000 Eni

40 DEF, 80 MDF

Magic Bracelet Lv 3

Costs 9,200 Eni

30 DEF, 60 MDF

Magic Bracelet Lv 2

Costs 5,300 Eni

20 DEF, 40 MDF

Magic Bracelet Lv 1

Costs 1,750 Eni

10 DEF, 25 MDF

Guard Bracelet Lv 7

Costs 39,000 Eni

140 DEF, 70 MDF

Guard Bracelet Lv 6

Costs 39,000 Eni

120 DEF, 60 MDF

Guard Bracelet Lv 5

Costs 28,000 Eni

100 DEF, 50 MDF

Guard Bracelet Lv 4

Costs 16,000 Eni

80 DEF, 40 MDF

Guard Bracelet Lv 3

Costs 11,000 Eni

60 DEF, 30 MDF

Guard Bracelet Lv 2

Costs 7,000 Eni

40 DEF, 20 MDF

Guard Bracelet Lv 1

Costs 3,000 Eni

25 DEF, 10 MDF

Brawn Ring

Costs 40,000 Eni

300 HP

Magic Ring

Costs 6,000 Eni

50 SP

Attack Ring

Costs 35,000 Eni

100 ATK

Will Ring

Costs 25,000 Eni

50 MAT

Defense Ring

Costs 25,000 Eni

50 DEF

Mindful Ring

Costs 7,500 Eni

50 MDF

Rapid Ring

Costs 3,000 Eni

50 AGI

Shop Sidequests

Road to Godot

Harvest 2 Godot Relic

Reward is 1 Will Ring

Elf’s Heart

Harvest 2 Elf’s Heart

Reward is 1 Magic Bracelet Level 8

Sanatheus Jewelry

Harvest 2 Sanatheus Jewel

Reward is 1 Guard Bracelet Level 9

Crimson Ash

Harvest 2 Crimson Ash

Reward is 1 Magic Bracelet Level 9

Scale It Back

Harvest 2 Scarlet Dragonscale

Reward is 1 Attack Ring

To see this guide in action see it here:

If you enjoyed our guide be sure to find out what we thought of the game in our Death End Re;Quest Review. You can also check out further guides with our Death End Re;Quest Starter Guide & Tips as well as our Death End Re;Quest Trophy Guide to learn how to platinum this game! Read our step-by-step chapter guides in Prologue Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6.

The post Death End Re;Quest Chapter 7 Guide appeared first on Fextralife.

Death End Re;Quest Chapter 7 Guide published first on https://juanaframi.tumblr.com/

[lunarcloak]

Blue Lock Chapter 266: Visual Storytelling

I did a similar post for Chapter 262 and people seemed to like it, and the poll I put up for a 266 interest check was overwhelmingly positive. So I'm back here!

Let's go.

Kaiser Impact. Magnus-- yes, but at this point it looks like he's taking a shot in the dark. His eyes are completely white, it's in perfect contrast to the last times where his eyes go completely black, with white pupils.

He's truly evolved, in the full sense of the word. The fact that the lines are thicker, darker, usually used for weight of movement-- as you can see in the shot panel-- are also being used for the face. It signifies weighted emotion, like he's really in a do or die moment right now. This means so much to him, and the fact that the face is DARKER than the actual shot itself means it's less about the technicality and more about the evolution it took him to get here.

AND HERE IS THE MAGNUS. This is where it's about the technicality. You cannot see Kaiser's face anymore-- it's not as important in this frame. Here, your eyes are drawn to the impact of his shot. In fact, at first glance, you could quite literally miss the ball speeding past Rin. Why? Because after that impact frame, the ball is no longer in Kaiser's control. He can only control it until the point where he shoots.

Secondly, I draw your attention to the rose petals. We've already established that it is his aura, but not how they are, again, concentrated at the impact point. Not the ball. This is partly to emphasise the speed of movement itself, and partly to reinforce the previous point. And tertiary notes are of course, the expressions on Rin and Charles' face being of pure shock. They cannot react, not with the speed of this particular shot. Only Lorenzo has been able to stop it, anyway.

He did in fact, make the air also his ally, but this is also the beginnings of the vine motif that follows the ball for the rest of this chapter. Notice how the air is curling around the ball, not in a streamline motion, but in the pattern of what will be vines later. It's already telling you that, while the ball spin is no longer in Kaiser's control, he's already done it. He's given it the impact of his shot. It's going to move exactly as he wants it to. (after this is Ness willing the ball to bend, which doesn't have any particular visual significance, but the boy deserves all the love <3)

And here the vines are fully obvious. That ball is bending exactly as Kaiser willed it to. But this is the moment of truth for him-- he's not Michael Kaiser, the NG11 prodigy, as he's watching the ball. He's Michael, the little boy who had a worn out football, and a dream. (I will remind you here that the last chapter's final panel ended with him referring to the ball/himself as a "piece of shit" again-- as he continues to refer as such in this chapter. It's signifying how he's ripping himself back down to the bare, barren life of a small child with a will to get away from the terrible hand dealt to him.)

The petals are still there, of course. No roses without thorns, no vines without roses.

I'm very intrigued by the silhouette behind the ball here. I'm not able to place exactly what it is, but it looks exactly like a woman's silhouette. His mother, perhaps? I will admit I do not fully understand why that is there, it must be linked somehow, but if anyone has any ideas they'd like to add here then please feel free to do so!

That's why the last row of panels transitions into small Kaiser from the back of current Kaiser.

This sequence isn't just to remind you of the beginnings of Michael Kaiser. But it's symbolic in that, look at the actual sequence of events. He kicks the ball at the wall, but it rebounds and hurts him instead. He gets angry, and he kicks it away again. But he takes a moment. And then he runs back to get the ball, and hugs it.

In the end, the ball will always be everything. He will miss, and he will get mad when he misses. But he will always-- ALWAYS-- pause. And think. And then, in the end, he goes back to the ball. Because the ball is his everything.

If you compare this to the sequence of this match's events for Kaiser, you will realise that it is a direct parallel. Albeit on a bigger scale-- the higher you are, the harder you fall. But that's the point. The fact that in the end he's going back to his roots. The beginnings of Michael Kaiser.

The next panel is, of course, his disgusting father. It's not really supposed to signify much by itself, but moreso leads up to the next panel. We already knew his father is abusive, but what we didn't know was the root of his dream and his ambition.

Note how here the moon is full. The moon is used as a symbol for a lot of things in fiction, but here I interpret it as the peak of his ambition, partly because it reminded me of a football the first time I saw it. The heights of his dream. To reach it, would be to reach the moon.

Also note how he once again refers to the ball/himself as "piece of trash" here.

Ugh. UGH. THE THINGS I WANT TO SAY ABOUT THIS PART. But I shall refrain. This is a visual storytelling analysis, not a character analysis.

His eyes are bright. Brightest we've ever seen them, actually. Because he's looking up at the moon, reaching out to it, reaching out to his dream. He's envisioning a world where he can get exactly what he wants and be happy. (Money, food, humanity, and the core of it all, love.)

The text "I want to be loved" is placed in a similarly 'dreamy' dialogue box. The kind that's used in shoujo backgrounds for the sake of "imagination". Very interestingly, it's placed directly on top of the path of the ball towards the goal. Even more interestingly, the vines aren't there at the beginning of this page's trajectory. They only start once we return to present time. Coincidence? I THINK NOT.

The flashbacks starts, and ends with the ball's trajectory. The vines, however, are solely for the present.

Also, remember how he's reaching out upwards in this panel? Yeah. Keep that in mind. You'll know why in two pages.

The goal page itself is not particularly filled with visual storytelling. Points which are mentioned there are already spread throughout this chapter: vines coating the ball as it finally lands in the goal. But I want to ask you to note that, the side of the page is dedicated to people who are watching Kaiser. Rooting for Kaiser. I doubt that is the kind of "love" he needs, but it's telling that part of the celebration of the goal comes from the numerous fans watching him around the world, waiting for him to show them Michael Kaiser the prodigal striker.

Ah yes, the Kaisagi panel (I'm kidding). No, while this feels like total Kaisagi bait, it's also just... symbolic of their rivalry in general. Isagi has always looked up to Kaiser's football prowess. He's always known that Kaiser is incredible at what he does. He's marvelling at the fact that after everything, after all those failures, he pulled himself back up and scored an absolutely stunning goal. Note the colour of his eyes vs the dialogue. When they're entirely white-- evolution dependent- it's the fact that Kaiser scored a goal Isagi didn't. It's the incredible technicality of it (As someone who understands the physics behind it, yes, it is magnificient. Magnus-ificient? Heh.)

On the super star dialogue, however, it's just Isagi and his black hole gaze. The football player who has never shit on those above him, only ever looked up to them. Admired them, used them as role models for his own growth. He's calling Kaiser a superstar, because he is, but it's inspiring. He's frustrated, but he's also in awe. Those are the eyes of when he's just found someone new to understand and integrate into himself to become better. Of someone who's just found a new ideal to look up to.

Mmm. The vines and rose petals wrapping around Isagi, though? That is EXTREMELY Interesting. there's a lot of ways to interpret it. The fact that at that moment everyone was watching Kaiser's shot, under his control. Or maybe the fact that Kiyora passed to Kaiser and not to Isagi. Or maybe the fact that, in the end, the Emperor is always the emperor, and sliding the throne out from underneath him is simply not possible. It's the one shot Isagi can never actually copy, because Kaiser Impact has always been, well, Kaiser's. And so is the Magnus version. It's the one thing that Isagi will always, always stay below Kaiser on.

Kaiser's screaming, his eyes are still white. But they still have the pupil outline. It's his moment of pure evolution. He's achieved something he hadn't achieved previously. He's done something incredible. He's taken back his dignity and his power, reclaimed his identity as a star striker.

And, finally, of course. We have to talk about this panel. NO vines. ONLY petals. He's not restricted by the thorns clasping onto him anymore, there's only the blue rose petals of the impossible feat. As @/bachibachis had pointed out on one of the chapter reblogs after it dropped. He's pulling his shirt down. To showcase his tattoo, yes. But it's the meaning BEHIND the tattoo. A blue rose. Impossible. But it's exactly what he's always aimed for, to achieve the impossible. This panel also showcases the crown on his hand, for similarly significant reasons.

His eyes are blank. Entirely. Now it's not about the evolution, but the emotion. The last time we saw them was when he was in a fit of anger at Isagi's goal. Now it's catharsis. At his achievement, at the goal, at the fact that he's living upto the tattoo on his neck, the name, everything he's built up for himself.

His hand is reaching upwards, to the sky. For the far away dream of money, food, humanity and love. He's achieved two of the three already. But now he's reclaiming his humanity. Maybe some day down the line, he'll reclaim his love too. Any of you yelling about Ness-- I get it, I do, but you have to understand that Kaiser doesn't see it that way. He's never seen it that way. It's complicated. We will simply have to wait and see.

As for the rest of this panel, well, it's framed as though there's quite literally light shining down from the heavens for this man. Kaiser has always had a lot of religious symbolism, and I'm not particularly qualified to talk about them just yet. But this ties in to all of that, and more. It's about the fact that stars really did align for all of this to happen here, now. The fact that this happened in the NEL, and not the World Cup. The fact that Kiyora passed to him, and not Isagi. The fact that he finally had Luck on his side, and it worked out. The fact that Rin and Charles weren't able to stop it, despite being star players themselves.

The stars aligned, the light shone down from the heavens, as the fallen Emperor rises up once again, reclaiming the throne that was always his. He screams up at the very heavens that had forsaken him, years ago, as they finally let him have the moment of increduilty he's wished to impose on the world. To achieve the impossible, is to be Michael Kaiser.

What a stunning, stunning chapter. Thank you, Yusuke Nomura. Thank you, Muneyuki Kaneshiro.

And thank you, for reading my take on this.