#it's just pictures and him saying bana like no in-depth thoughts for this time around in this post ToT

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HSR 2.6 Quest Thoughts (Spoilers)

(Partially another Dan Heng love post -Resident Dan Heng Enjoyer /hj)

I liked how compact the cast and overall plot is! Definitely easier to follow the events and new characters, which was only a whole 2 of them, which I personally appreciated.

Rappa's backstory adding a tragic context surrounding her behavior and personality hit me harder than I anticipated. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but her being tied so closely to Dr. Primitive didn't even cross my mind prior, but it makes so much sense in hindsight. I was moved by her. I already liked her a lot before but the quest added to that as well. Also Master Shura was interesting to me. He was the "person in a questionable organization that actually questioned the morals of the organization" but the way he was handled intrigued me. Rather than a straightforward immoral -> moral type mindset, he concludes that morality is "a hypocritical and superficial concept" before killing Umbra Headmistress. He's better than the others there but he came across as more tragic in the end, which I find to be an approach that has me thinking about it after. Overall it's cool to see how connected Rappa is to the situation.

Also Mr. Reca is fun! Him being a Memokeeper and showing off the range of abilities/themes for those in the Garden of Recollection make me look forward to any potential Memokeeper characters in the future.

Having a quest go more into depth of Boothill was also nice! Seeing our Galaxy Rangers be expanded on a bit more is something I'm always happy to see. Hearing Nick mentioned by name made me lose it LOL, watch me break down in tears the moment his daughter is too. The sequence of him "falling" into the association's ideals made me more aware of how invested I am in his identity and goals. He made himself a living memorial of everyone he'd lost and the thought of him losing that unsettled me, so that section really got me the more I was made to think about it.

I appreciated how Robin explicitely notes that she still didn't have a "better answer" to the debate about the bird. Rather than having some answer at the end of the Penacony quest, she still has to think about it, and considering the complexities of that topic, I appreciate that it's treated as such by the characters.

Overall, the themes about evolution, ambition, identity, and individuality feel very fitting with Penacony and HSR as a whole. In a universe where there are billions of tragedies across the galaxies, where many factions and beliefs are born, clash, and either carry on or fade away, where dramas play out under the spotlight or in the darkest recesses of space, this is just another small anecdote in history's tapestry, and yet, to those involved, it's important. And in the end, that matters.

With that out of the way, now look at these pictures of Dan Heng (most of them of him saying "bana")

(Look at his small smile!!!)

(You go give the bare minimum, King!!!)

I play in the Japanese dub, so it's amusing to hear Ito Kent's take of a usually monotone Dan Heng being forced to say bana, bana in that serious monotone ToT