Arpeggio of Blue Steel - Vol. 29 Ch. 167

[MangaDex]

 

[SugarFree]

I know a lot of people don’t vibe with the whole existential cosmic entity challenging humanity thing, but I dig this shit.

 

[NotteBoy97]

Man this talk about geniuses, intuition, and goals just works real well at showing the intelligence of characters instead of simply telling us they're super duper smart like many other manga do. Wish this series was more popular cause it's really an interesting experience seeing all these fantastical but grounded technologies and strategies and how thinking like a human is still perhaps the greatest feats the Fleet of Fog has shown.

Kind of wonder how this series would work in a Super Robot Wars game

 

[Shiden]

"I'm not commanding them"

Worse, you have a whole fleet concerned for your wellbeing and NOT under your direct command.

 

[xSauriaNx]

Choukai should be next to her hubby tbh

 

[Hoanghoiham]

Worse, you have a whole fleet concerned for your wellbeing and NOT under your direct command.

A whole harem of Boaties McBoatfaces.

 

[Degen_Ex]

Everytime Im having a hard time, this manga randomly uploads and i feel like i got a dopamine injection

 

[Bayaya]

So Verdict is the name of that witch girl? She is the admiralty code?

 

[alacaelum]

Well... Gunzou is a genius... but he is also a child, his brain isn't fully formed, expecting complete logical behavior from him is to completely ignore that fundamental fact.

I kinda dig the little redesign on Gunzou, he feels more like a teenager now... in body proportions at least, boy still is a little too robotic with a few of his mannerisms.

When the reveal that this whole situation is some sort of test from an unfathomable being that tracks back to the origin of reality happened, I will admit, it felt a little too much... but then that same unfathomable being got a crush on one of the girls in the cast and is stalking her now XD.

The author wisely took a few steps back after that reveal, IIRC (because it has been some time since I read that part of the story), we had a few big fights after the reveal, but slowly we got back to the character driven side of the story.

Frequently, when a story has a plot like that, it completely forsakes the character side of the story, which obviously... only has negatives for the narrative, a good story is a healthy mix of world building and character development

 

[xSauriaNx]

So Verdict is the name of that witch girl? She is the admiralty code?

Verdict / Gretel Hexe Andvari / Siren is indeed the admirality code.... or more like, the current form of the Verdict.
She had taken several forms alongside the birth of Earth and just wakes up at correct times to test humanity.

When the reveal that this whole situation is some sort of test from an unfathomable being that tracks back to the origin of reality happened, I will admit, it felt a little too much... but then that same unfathomable being got a crush on one of the girls in the cast and is stalking her now XD.

that's more on Gretel than Verdict tbh. xD

 

[fight2live]

i already missed Kirishima's teddy bear form

 

[AAA1]

gunzou was sulking because his first love is indeed merging with the fog right? his effort or actually their effort to give her a chance to be human again is a complete failure. to add that, when he got hinted that his dead dad actually alive, he then went to seek on him for a life advice but his dad got another family instead of him. he disappointed. now what he got left is politics

wth am i writing lol

 

[AnotherDuck]

Military tends to be very high on back-up systems that work when nothing else does. Pen and paper is a good example of that.

Just a casual conversation.

That sure looks like a reverse trash can.

Very dogmatic philosophy presented as the only logical outcome.

Destroying cores is also in a manner of speaking kicking people when they're down, or more closely, executing war prisoners. It's not something a lot of people have the mental capacity to do on their own.

 

[commandodude]

I know a lot of people don’t vibe with the whole existential cosmic entity challenging humanity thing, but I dig this shit.

Count me in on "don't vibe with it"

It just feels like an intellectual cop out for writers to create a villain to attack the protagonist but not want to win. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense why the MC wasn't crushed on chapter 2, because the writer couldn't come up for a logical reason why the bad guys didn't use their full tool kit from the start.

If I'm honest, ever since Gunzou got sniped, the plot feels like it's fallen off and there's been a big loss of stakes.

 

[OnoreArukeido]

It just feels like an intellectual cop out for writers to create a villain to attack the protagonist but not want to win. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense why the MC wasn't crushed on chapter 2

Their can still wipe humanity out so the stake is there, plus this manga might go the route "they hold too much power for us to ignore"

The fog that time was just come to being, before that they were acting solely on admirality code and didnt actively sought an enemy. Latter on, when their personality fully form, they start to target the 401. That is just my theory tho lol

 

[commandodude]

Their can still wipe humanity out so the stake is there

Not really. Story conventions would disallow such a dismal ending. I know we're not suppose to meta analyze stories like that, but it's the author's fault for failing to manage willful suspension of disbelief.

We're either going to come to a guided conclusion to the story, revealing there was never a real conflict and cheapening all the excellent story from the start of the series. Or more likely, the antagonists decide for whatever reason they have changed their mind about humanity, so they will fight 'for real' this time, only to discover that the Protagonist has eclipsed them, which makes their defeat more of a self inflicted failure.

In better stories, the villains are always trying from the start, and lose for more believable reasons, such as limitations of their own power, or being outmaneuvered.

 

[xSauriaNx]

It just feels like an intellectual cop out for writers to create a villain to attack the protagonist but not want to win. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense why the MC wasn't crushed on chapter 2, because the writer couldn't come up for a logical reason why the bad guys didn't use their full tool kit from the start.

the manga literally explains that as to why. The current thing with Verdict's current order and the Knight's Order being active is due meeting exact requirements for them to move. Back in chapter 2, the fog has still been the "machines" that follows order. Hyuuga and Choukai HEAVILY tell this. Back then Chapter 1 and earlier than that? They were just machines. Now? A lot of capable ships now has mental models and borrowed processing power to have mental models. The "Bad Guys" you're referring too are more of a "chaotic neutral" faction that only acts per directive aligned with Verdict's. And the Knight's Order focuses on Wider Scale than specific cases unless it necessitates attention like Gunzou does. And per this chapter, they even wanted him to be part of them rather classify him as termination target.

The bad guys you're pointing to are literally just "yes men" to Verdict's orders and tbh... does nothing outside of those directives.

 

[commandodude]

the manga literally explains that as to why. The current thing with Verdict's current order and the Knight's Order being active is due meeting exact requirements for them to move. Back in chapter 2, the fog has still been the "machines" that follows order. Hyuuga and Choukai HEAVILY tell this. Back then Chapter 1 and earlier than that? They were just machines. Now? A lot of capable ships now has mental models and borrowed processing power to have mental models. The "Bad Guys" you're referring too are more of a "chaotic neutral" faction that only acts per directive aligned with Verdict's. And the Knight's Order focuses on Wider Scale than specific cases unless it necessitates attention like Gunzou does. And per this chapter, they even wanted him to be part of them rather classify him as termination target.

The bad guys you're pointing to are literally just "yes men" to Verdict's orders and tbh... does nothing outside of those directives.

You're just summarizing the plot. I already told you why I dislike that kind of story structure. Again, it's all an elaborate stage play to the villains at the top instead of an actual, real fight. Which cheapens all of the earlier fights now that we know the only reason protagonist won them is because it was a test.

 

[OnoreArukeido]

the only reason protagonist won them is because it was a test.

Except it isnt, verdict hasnt announce their intention at the time so all of their hard fought battle was for their own survival. Maybe a reread would refresh your mind cuz this is nowhere near the end. Depend on the mc choice, a lot of lives can be save or lost

 

[JackdawMinuet]

He’s playing it down, but Gunzou really is currently the most powerful individual on the planet. Which is pretty dang cool.