Mission: Yozakura Family

So we’re at the point where the hero gains his signature ability, huh. Seeing how his toughening is used here, it seems a little more flexible than usual.

And I’ll never say it enough, but Taiyo and Mutsumi are adorable together.

Taiyo's reaction to Mutsumi being in on it is pretty reasonable, all things considered.

You shouldn't lie to your spouse after all.

Let that be a lesson yawl.

Considering how much Taiyo gets the shit beaten out of him, this is a welcome addition. Now onto greater heights of slapstick!

It was also kind of unusual that Mutsumi got also hit by her grandmother. Can't remember when I lost saw physical violence as a comedy used against females. I really like how the author handles their relationship.

Slapstick Knows no Gender is rare-ish, but does happen.

I thought I was going to be annoyed at the plot getting dropped for wacky hijinks again, but these are such quality hijinks I ain't even mad. Bless these stupid, stupid lovebirds.

And we see some new villains! So not entirely plot-free after all.

Amen!

This reminded me a lot of an early Jitsu wa Watashi wa chapter too, so it was doubly funny for me.

And I already like the new villain group already. I wonder what happened to that woman’s torso (and boobs)… are these burn scars?

Edited by Lyendith on Jan 3rd 2021 at 12:25:58 PM

Sure looked like burn scars to me. I'm guessing they're because she's got fire powers, to contrast with the snow guy.

The mission finally starts… looks like we’re gonna have a good ol’ The Rest Shall Pass formula for this one. With Futaba being first on the list.

Either burn scars or stylized markings. I'm digging how the villains also look like a nice happy family.

Kyoichiro may be the family dickhead, but boy if he doesn't look cool standing straight up on Goliath.

I'm always a sucker for a nice wholesome Villainous Friendship situation. Everyone in that room is a murderous criminal, including the little kid, but look how sweet they are together!

He's only really a dickhead to Taiyo and anyone he perceives as a threat to Mutsumi or his affections for Mutsumi. Aside from some stupid pranks on Futaba, he's practically a Cool Big Bro to the rest of his siblings.

Still, that number inflation with Hazakura efficiency being 512%.

I wonder when the other spies are arriving.

Also damn Papa Yozakura has a Hell of a sweet tooth.

The first chapter mentions that he tops the spy rankings for most hated. The people have spoken.

Yeah, he's both extremely competent and extremely hateable in-universe and out.

Just caught up on this! Love it. The main relationship is great, with just a tad adorable awkwardness but for the most part it's just "yeah we're married, no need for angst over it." Spy society is wonderfully ridiculous. The manga has gotten significantly darker from the beginning, but it definitely still has its funny moments.

I also like that both Taiyo and Mutsumi get their random stalkers (who they both ignore because they're in love and perfectly secure in that knowledge). Rather than one or the other with an Unwanted Harem, it's both. Makes them feel a lot more equal than the way many similar stories do it.

One interesting thing I noticed is that all the heroic (or at least neutral to positive) characters are focused on protecting individuals, while the villains are obsessed with The Needs of the Many. Taiyo refuses to get bogged down in moral debates; he's not fighting the bad guys because their plans threaten the world, he's fighting them because they're threatening Mitsumi.

Okay, Futaba is badass beyond belief… but I don’t really get what her Blooming actually does. >.> Doesn’t seem to have anything to do with wind.

T’was a shonen fight in its purest form. Not exactly original but thrilling nonetheless. It’s also probably not a coincidence (narratively I mean) that Akai kinda looked like Taiyo before the fire.

Huh, that’s a good point… though Akai at least doesn’t care much about the Many. Or even herself for that matter.

Yeah, it doesn't make a ton of sense. I just took it as overcharging her kinetic vision and using it to fine-tune movements to the point where she can nullify attacks entirely rather than just deflecting them.

She basically swirled that fire into nothing.

Also if the mom's body is in cryogenic storage, I wonder if she might still be alive.

Might be why old dad is working with them.

Futaba's all about that akido force redirection stuff. So her Blooming lets her redirect force so well the attack is nullified. Simple.

Honestly, Ban gave his contortionism to a bullet a few chapters earlier. I'm not paying a ton of attention to the explanations beyond "their shtick, but really really good."

I wonder if we should add Well-Intentioned Extremist to Kyoichiro's character page?

I mean his behaviour is still extreme, but his attempts to confine his sister are somewhat understandable now that we know that there is a very powerful organization which has killed their mother and came close to kill her.

I just learned that the series was gonna have a French release, there are even free samples in bookstores… And man, I had forgotten just how batshit insane Kyoichiro could be…

So we're moving down the list of siblings' Bloomings. I expect this'll also be of the physical buff type, like most superpowers in this series, though at this point the difference is academical (considering the absurd feats the Yozakuras get up to).