very, very long PH chapter reaction

[ceitean]

First off - a belated welcome back to levels  and a very happy birthday to mairenn_k ! ♥ ♥ ♥

Heh, I love how half the entire PH fandom came out to thank the person who gave us early raws. XD


Everyone say it with me now: ALL VESSALIUS ARE S~

There is just so much to love about Ada's character in this chapter. She's still the sweet young woman we met in Lutwidge, but now we know she keeps her own personal Iron Maiden in her basement. :D It rings very true to me that the people around Ada (mostly noble men/relatives) would block her from the investigation into Oz's disappearance, but I loved that Ada did some research on it on her own and then got interested in what she found. 

The BEST thing about Ada's hobbies, though, is that they put her relationship with Vincent in a totally new light. Right up until the reveal, we only saw Vincent's perspective of the seduction and his really misogynistic views about women. Then we find out the reason Ada let him get close in the first place was because Gilbert told her HE CUTS UP DOLLS WITH SCISSORS and she wanted to fangirl with him. :'D 'Lay yourself bare to me,' ha! Be careful what you wish for, Vincent. XD

I have to wonder how much of Ada's interest/research is fluff and how much is practical. We know that sorcery is a reality in the PH verse: there was Break's restriction circle at the very beginning; Barma's comment that his family had a history of practicing sorcery, with Miranda Barma herself pulling a mind whammy on Vincent (no wonder he doesn't like the occult); the brainwashing done to baby!Gil (btw, wtf was up with that?); the stuff with Jack being separated into pieces - all of it had to do with magic. So I'm curious how far Ada's knowledge of the supernatural really goes and if she might grow to have some skills in that area. It would certainly be interesting.

But for now, I'm happy enough with Ada pwn'ing Vincent without even knowing she was doing it. Those faces, omg. That's what you get for being a creeper, Vincey-boy.

Speaking of Vincent - how is he the most actively heterosexual male in this manga? Seriously.

I had this whole spiel planned out about Vincent and his issues with women and his psychology and his unstable attachment to Gil, but. Yeah, I think I'll just wait for JM to dig into that stuff a bit more. ^^ I'd love to see him have more scenes with Lottie and Ada, though. And Break! Break and Lottie and Vincent trapped in a room together would be awesome. Oo-oo-oo, they could be trapped in one of Ada's torture chambers! ♥

Right, now that that's out of the way -

The chapter summaries are awesome. 'Lately Not-So-Useless,' 'Misogynist Vincent, 'Scary Ada,' XD

Headhunter - I figured she wasn't affiliated with the Baskervilles. Well. I thought she wasn't a Baskerville, but maybe she was doing a contract hit or something like that (contract as in paid hitman, not a chain :X). But apparently they don't know what the deal is with her at all, which raises the question of why the hell she's doing it in the first place. Also, William West knew the Headhunter. I wonder if that means Phillip knows the Headhunter, too? Crack theories as of now - the Headhunter is either 1) Rachel Cecil (how amazing would that be *_*) or 2) Mrs West.

Heh, after that panel of Gilbert being poisoned in the last chapter I expected Vincent would be out for blood and was a bit surprised when no mention of Vincent's reaction was made. Turns out he is out for blood, in his own creepy patient way. Bets on him using Eliot to draw the Headhunter out? (I would love to see a showdown between those three, for srs.)

I have so much love for secondary characters in this series. Like Fang. Fang rocks. He's courteous, an amazing sword fighter, and good with children. I would love to have him on my side, if he weren't, you know, a villain (in another life, I totally think Fang and Eliot would get along fantastically). Hm, maybe Fang, Dug and Lily are related somehow? Those marks on their faces make me think 'clan marks' for some reason, and they have the same earrings. Can't be a Baskerville only thing since Lottie doesn't have them.

Lily is cute! But I have to wonder - did she take part in the massacre? She seems too young, but then again... appearances chew you up and spit you out in this manga. Still, she needs to not antagonize Vincent - given past events, it will not end well. ):

Lottie still does not like Vincent. It makes me smile. :D

Hmm, Inmeliora and Black Abyss differ on the Key issue - is there only one master key, or one for each door? We haven't really seen any Significant Objects in the Dukes' possession. There's the black sword Eliot wields which looks like Glen's sword from a hundred years ago. There's the Vessalius sword with feathers on the pommel used in Oz's coming of age ceremony. ...maybe Barma keeps his key in the heals of his shoes?

Yikes! Duke Nightray is in on everything? Damn. o_o This means that at one point in time, the Baskervilles had control of two dukes. That's...not good.

And it looks like Duchess Rainsworth is also a contractor. I kind of wanted it to be Shelly who had the Rainsworth Chain, but Sheryl having it is equally awesome.

Speaking of contractors - what in hell are these 'requirements' for contracting? Vincent said Gil fit those requirements 'long ago,' so maybe it was something that happened in his past? Is it an event the person has to go through, like killing someone or seeing someone die, or is it a personality thing? Is it a Holic-ish thing, like having a wish? Gilbert and Vincent are both contractors. Oscar can't have a contract, but Zai and Break and Barma and Lottie can. Really, it's Sharon who's the odd duck in this equation.

Ada's Personal Mansion - did Oscar set it up, or Zai? And if Zai, why would his orders still hold? The 'no one allowed at home!' rule on it's own is very interesting. What are they hiding? We've never seen the main Vessalius house - the manga opened in the Baskerville Mansion. (the traditional place for all coming of age ceremonies, and no, that longstanding tradition for the most powerful nobles isn't suspicious at all...)

Gilbert and Vincent's mother - ...

She sold them to a freak show? So she was either: a ruthless person, a woman in horrible circumstances, or crazy. Possibly a combination of all three. This must be why Gil and Vince were on the street so young - they must have escaped the freak show (omg, a freak show?) and then lived on the street with no place to go. Hm. Shows like that are known for traveling around a lot. Could you imagine if the story took us to Gil and Vince's real hometown at some point? Not gonna happen, but it'd be interesting.

I have to laugh at Vincent in this chapter. A lot. He made so many Gil!faces, even though he tried so hard to keep it in. Especially his 'Oh, crap,' look. That's what you get for being a misogynist jerk, Vincent dear. (I'd love to see an icon of that Smiley Vincent panel that says 'liar liar pants on fire.')

Gilbert is growing up! it's a little bit at a time, but it's happening. And it's throwing Vincent for a loop, too, which isn't surprising. The way Gilbert was before made it easy for Vincent (and Break) to control him. But now... even though Gilbert aged during the timeskip, he could never mature until Oz came back. Well, Oz is back, and the times, they are a-changing.

Yesss, I love that Sharon's development is still on track. I am looking forward to it. (and was that conversation the first time PH passed the Bechdel Test? I think it was.)

Two out of three Rainsworth ladies have nicknames for Break. ♥ Yay for Emily being back! Boo for Break still not telling Sharon he's freaking blind!

Finally, we have a name for Oz and Ada's mother! Rachel Cecil. (or Rechelle Cecile?)I want to know more. Like, what kind of woman marries Zai Vessalius? And why is it rumored that the Nightrays killed her? (this is the basis for my crack!Headhunter theory, btw.)


Comments

[evercool.livejournal.com]

Looking at the raw again, it looks like there is in fact a key for each door more likely. Tricky thing is that there is no plural in japanese, so unless there is a number given with the word it could be either. Kagi= key(s) could be either unless "4 kagi" or such were said. However the one bubble looks like it does in fact imply each duke has one, so it would seem there are the multiple...

Agree with pretty much everything else you said. And I'd love to see some Ada magic. Now I want to draw her waving around a wand, lol. xD

I thought the same thing when the early scans came out...! Everyone was so thankful it delurked them! That's nice though. XD Hopefully we'll keep getting the early scans since everyone is so thankful. ♥

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

Keys - I thought that might be it. XD I wish Japanese had plurals instead of all those freaking counters...

Ada having magic skills is now a part of my personal fanon. :D I can see her with a pack of Tarot cards, doing a reading and worrying about the danger Oz might be in. And maybe getting a warning about Vincent that she doesn't understand. <--is thinking about this too much.

It was so nice of her! :'D I can't believe we got it before Raw Paradise - that was certainly a first.

[evercool.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it's possible Oz is a key. xD; They already called him a key though, in a different sense... If it can be hidden in anything though... maybe Zai put the key in him and that's why he disappeared with the baby, I wondered. Bleh! Too many possibilities. xD

That would be lovely with the tarot cards, ohohoho~

Yes, that's wonderful. Makes waiting a month a little easier. *__*

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

Heh, they did out and out call Oz a key, didn't they? It's obvious something funky is up with Oz - even before Break's little revelation, we had Doldum saying Oz's blood tasted different (sweeter) than other humans'.

[areku14.livejournal.com]

I think that the "no one allowed at home" rule could be from either Zai or Oscar. If it was Zai's doing then there might be something at the Vessalius' that he doesn't want to be seen. If it were Oscar, I would assume it's because Ada is a young lady, and it wouldn't be proper for her to bring home various people (or boys, for that matter).

Or it could be that Oscar knows about her research and asked that she keep those activities away from the house.

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

ha! That makes me wonder what Oscar thinks of Ada's *ahem* hobbies.

[evercool.livejournal.com]

Oh, it specifically says in the raw that Oscar set it up for her, and it's Zai's orders no friends/visitors be brought to the mansion. Who knows what's in Zai's room or other parts of the estate they wouldn't want visitors seeing, ohoho~ xD

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

MY NEWFOUND LOVE OF ADA KNOWS NO BOUNDS. ♥_____♥

Also, while my distaste for Vincent also knows no bounds, somehow it's hot when he's getting ruthlessly topped. Even when the one topping doesn't seem to notice she's doing it. XD;

...and I think you might be right about the Bechdel test bit sobbb

Oh, and that bit about Oz's mother, it made me wonder if she was married to Zai at all? Considering they didn't call her "Vessalius"... It was odd. :Oa

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

Ada is ♥.

Bechdel - Alice and Sharon talked a bit in the Let's All Get Drunk! chapter, but it was about boys and romance - it was hilarious, though, so I forgive it. Now that I think of it, the first Bechdel test was probably passed a couple of chapters ago with Lottie and Lily and then Sharon and Mary, followed up by Sharon and Sheryl. So it's getting better? I have hope for Echo's future interactions, once she gets better. An Echo-Sharon dialog would be amazing.

I love Vincent as an endlessly complicated creeper antagonist. I love it best when he gets pwned. :D The Ada/Vincent thing was so out of left field when it was first shown, but if this is how it's going to play out? Sign me up. :D

Rachel - ...huh. That's a good point. I don't know how they'd get away with that in-universe, but it's certainly possible. I sense backstory for the Cecils on the horizon.

[orchida.livejournal.com]

the Headhunter is either 1) Rachel Cecil (how amazing would that be *_*) That would be completely amazing! And that is now what I want to happen. She's always just kind of hinted at, so I suppose it can go one of two ways - she's ignored completely, or being saved for some kind of big reveal.

And yes, Ada was awesome this chapter, it's wonderful to see her - I want to say growing a backbone - but she didn't, she's just completely crazy on magic and freaky stuff. Loved that she likes Vincent for his freaky doll cutting though. I'd love to see her using what she's learnt in later chapters.

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think there's a lot of stuff in the wings that are being held off for a Big Moment. And surprisingly enough, a bunch of them surround women, mostly mother figures. Oz's mother has always been a big one (possibly killed by order of the Nightrays? you know that has to come up sooner or later); Shelly is another - she's hugely important to Break's development Post-Kevin and the No Face shots we got of her are very reminiscent of the way Jack and Glen were shown early on; Eliot's mother, too, though she's not quite as mysterious as Vanessa. Oh, and Miranda Barma who clearly has something supernatural going on. And of course there's the Echo/Zwei mystery, and early on there was the whole 'What the hell happened to baby Ada?' thing. Can't forget the Headhunter, either, who might even be one of the women mentioned above.

On the male front, there's Glen, the Nightray Predecessor Guy and arguably Jack. Plus there's a big mystery around Leo and his Glasses of Obscurity. (if, in fact, Leo is not a girl himself. XD)


Heh, I love how this relationship is being subverted - Vincent is used to his charm winning the ladies over, while his obsessive cutting of stuffed toys would probably be a sign for most people to run the hell away. But for Ada, it's the charm that she's uncomfortable with and the doll cutting that spikes her interest. XD

[levels.livejournal.com]

/glomps♥!

My thoughts were basically: VINCENT, YOU CREEPY CREEP. And the only other thing that caught my attention was the mention of Oz's mother, and that ~dramatic~ last page. Your analysis always helps with all the important things I (always seem to) miss /o\

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

Vincent is such a creeper. XD The whole time, I was thinking, 'omg, Ada, run for your virtue life. D: D: D:" And then... heh. heh heh heh.

I think I may have squealed a bit when we got Rachel Cecil's name. Just a bit. :D But yeah, that last page...you'll notice that last page was the one thing I didn't comment on in this tl'dr post. orz

I remember way back during the ceremony, Doldum said Oz's blood tasted different from human blood - sweeter. :/ Guess we're finally gonna learn what that meant...

[dhuaine.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad we got confirmation that the Headhunter is not related to Baskervilles. It's always more fun when there are three parties going on to a brawl. :3

Is the coming-of-age ceremony mansion really the Baskerville mansion? I've been thinking about it for some time. There's that mansion and the Baskerville estate in Sablier. I used to think that all the important families have houses in the capital while their main mansions are located somewhere in the country (damn, I'd love to see a map*), but Baskerville property seems kinda too big for a capital secondary house.
The Baskerville mansion could be well located in Sablier and flushed into Abyss during the Tragedy. And besides, whose brilliant idea would be to hold coming-of-age ceremonies at enemy's lair? =.= It would make more sense if it was, i.e. the old Vessalius house, the home of the hero. Except it's too big for a third-rate family. :/

By the way, they must have either stopped using the Mansion for coming-of-age ceremonies or moved them elsewhere. Eliot is 16 or something; if the Mansion was used for his coming-of-age, it wouldn't be in such a poor state now.
If the whole purpose of the ceremony though was to find the incarnation of the hero, they could well have stopped it entirely.

Damn, I need to go now x____x Sorry for messed up comment, I wanted to say more, but there's no time :/ One more thing: wouldn't it be sad if Zai Vessalius turned out not to be a complete psycho but just a very bitter man who hates Oz because that is not his real son and he's the only one who knows it. D: And he sacrificed his real son because it Needed to be done although he knew he would suffer aaaand therefore he's The Real Hero. lol

Oh, and why is there something in Vincent's speech about four Dukes that makes me wonder whether the Baskervilles know exactly what Zai is doing. It may be some weird sentence in Black Abyss scanlation, but doesn't it imply that the family can... call their Chain somehow? Like, they're not very much concerned that Zai disappeared with their Chain. Idk, dunno what I'm saying - -

I was 98% sure Duke Nightray was in league with Baskervilles. So, provided Zai is still with them, they have 3 out of 5 Glen's Chains (I assume that they have access to Jabberwocky). Definitely not good.

Ah, and Ada. I never expected her to be a brainless cute useless chick (as many seemed to think). Her childhood surely wasn't all fluffy, was it? Even if Zai never showed any animosity towards her, she probably wasn't seeing him all that often and then there's the Daddy Hates My Bro thing. Kids can sense that.

Gah, I need to go now - -

--
* what is the country called? XD

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

A map would be wonderful. But I don't think we're gonna get a name for the country. :/

The Mansion at the beginning was where Lacie and Glen were seen together, where Lacie was buried, where Lottie was when she met Jack when she was with Glen, and where the coming of age ceremony was held for years. There was also that quote at the beginning, about it being a place of darkness. The Baskerville Door, on the other hand, looks like it was in Sablier, as was Alice's tower. The mansion seems like a pretty pivotal place, so I assumed it was the Baskville Mansion/country home.

Zai - I dunno. Even if it was for the Greater Good, I can still think he's an absolute bastard for the way he treated a child. (even if the child wasn't his/wasn't human, it's Oz.)

Zai didn't exactly disappear with their chain, did he? He's working with them, after all, so it's not like they don't know where it is.

I do wonder what Ada's relationship with her father was like. *ponders*

[dhuaine.livejournal.com]

(I forgot to reply to this and now I don't remember what I wanted to say damn it all D:)

Both places seem to belong to the Baskervilles, I want to know more about the politics of this world - - Baskervilles were pretty important before the Tragedy. I wonder what exactly their duty was.

Dunno, there's something very fishy about Zai, as if he were more independent from Baskervilles than they would like. And I think it's really suspicious that Elliot wasn't that alarmed when he saw him in Sablier.

Ah! Shelly might be the contractor of the Rainsworth Chain. Sheryl is just the Duchess. The Dukes have the keys, but the contractor may be someone else. Gilbert has Raven, but Duke Nightray has their key.

[nekocat17.livejournal.com]

Haha, I loved Ada before, but she's even more awesome now. ♥♥♥ It definitely takes something else to scare Vincent. X) I loved it already, but Ada/Vincent is now my second favorite pairing. ♥ Their whole relationship is just so interesting. I can't wait to see how it goes. I love how just after Vincent was thinking all women are exactly the same, she showed him. :D I am totally enjoying imagining Ada with some sort of voodoo doll of Vincent.

It's so funny how she actually likes torture devices and stuff. I can't help wondering if Oz or anyone else are going to find out about her new 'hobbies' XD I was excited to find out the name of their mother too. I hope to find out more about her soon. I thought before that she had to be a pretty good person for Oz and Ada to be so sweet with Zai for a father, but now I'm wondering if she won't actually turn out to be just as bad in a way. And I agree with the person above me that Zai may turn out to have been not so bad and is doing all this for a decent reason.

Vincent better not use Elliot to draw the headhunter out. D8 I love Vincent, but that's the one thing I could never forgive him for.

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

Ada/Vincent is definitely in the running for being one of the Most Interesting Canon Crack Pairings Ever.

Someone else has to find out. Maybe they won't get a tour of the torture devices, but they may see Ada doing something occulty in the future.

I'm not sure Vincent likes Eliot very much at all - especially since Gil seems to be fond of him.

[mairenn-k.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot for the birthday wishes! :D ♥

I have to agree with pretty much everything you said as usual, The Ada/Vincent interaction in this chapter was so much love and Vincent's expressions in that scene were priceless. I was always wondering if Mochizuki has some surprises in store for us about Ada, she always seemed a little too innocent to be a PH character. Plus, as it was pointed out above, her childhood probably wasn't all that easy.

Break, Lottie and Vincent trapped in one of Ada's torture chambers is a reaaally scary thought. I wonder if anyone would get out alive. :X

I can't wait to find out more about Oz's mother, I hope she will be important for the plot in some way. At least we know her name now, that's a good start.

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

♥!

Vincent's reaction made my week, it was so fabulous. And the best thing about this facet of Ada's character is that it doesn't really change what we already know about her - she's still the Ada we me in Lutwidge, not a completely different character. And I am ridiculously excited at the prospect of learning more about Rachel Cecil. :D

(no one would get out alive XD)