Urasekai Picnic - Vol. 3 Ch. 14 - Time, Space, and a Middle-aged Man I

[Rayze]

Oh man, Kozakura is in the Otherside now?? I thought she'd be safe...well, as safe as someone buying all the Otherside stuff can be, I suppose. 🙃

I actually liked this chapter. Felt like Satsuki possibly being dead (with this type of story, I'm scared it's an 'if only she was' situation) and the valid fear that they're already insane was something that needed to be said. Even if Sorawo wasn't fully straightforward with what she meant, she at least tried to communicate it.

Bummed that Toriko just kinda walked out but that's understandable as well. Here's to hoping it gets resolved without too much added trauma for these girls! 😣

 

[Kaguya-Sama]

You guys who are blaming Sorawo for being selfish, will you risk your life for someone you don’t even know? Someone who can be evil? Someone who she doesn’t even know dead or alive? Even if alive, they don’t know if she is sane or not. This pace they were going is messed up place. It trapped a fucking US army and killed a lot of them already. Why would she want to go to that kind of place for someone whom she barely know? And that is not entire reason that ticked her off. Toriko thought that Sorawo was just after the money when Sorawo was risking her life for her.

 

[Clover_Zero]

I agree with what Magkial_Maggs said.
What novel readers said is interesting. I should really read it someday...please grant me my strength to read novels once again.
Looking forward to when Sorawo's full character and trauma is explored in the manga.

 

[BlackFrost]

There's lowkey psychological aspect in this. I get why Sorawo's reasoning and I also get Toriko's reasoning.
Tbh If I'm in Toriko's position, I would totally do the same thing. Be what may of it, "I want to save someone that maybe special for me or someone important to me, it's ok to me if other people see me as naive/idiotic/suicidal if that person is someone I think is very special I will lose a limb or two just to find them. I want to see them with my own eyes no matter what the outcome is or else I will loose myself" Is probably Toriko's mindset and again I understand that. "I don't want something bad to happen to me again like in my past. Even if Toriko is my friend can I really help her even though I am a burden? Can I sacrifice a part of me to find this stanger? I wish we can take just a small rest or else we're going to lose ourselves to insanity" my take on Sorawo's mindset and I get it too. Realistically Sorawo's mindset might as well be the default of a human instinct.

 

[Simply_Fiction]

I 87% agree with Sorawo on this whole thing tbh, but considering none of us are her-

I'mma be real, fucked up as the otherside it, going to another world of mindfuckery to pick up bobbles to drop on the black market for a goddamn fortune sounds like my kinda thing. I'd honestly rather go out a nameless vagabond fighting otherworldly demons than die from overwork in an office or warehouse. Maybe I'm fucked up, but if my bedroom door turned into another world portal I'd probably go through it a bunch.

Saving people on the otherside, however, might not be my thing since idrgaf (I don't consider myself a misanthrope or cynic or anything really, I just can't be assed)

 

[Lhmac]

As I was reading this, I was struck by the fact that we have basically an unlikable MC. Sorawo has mentioned in her inner monologue before that she actually doesn't like people, and I just handwaved it away because I wanted her to be likeable. It's fairly confronting, apparently for most of us, to see it so starkly portrayed that she does not want to do something selfless. Totally understandable, but usually we have selfless characters because that's how stories happen, that's how heroes are made. It feels like we're at a standstill because she doesn't want to risk her life, but I guess that's why they flashed back to it after showing Sorawo back in Otherside. Guess people would have been more angry if they didn't start the chapter with that.

 

[smns]

As an LN reader, I recognize that almost all the comments in this thread about Sorawo being selfish are coming from fellow LN readers, and I mostly agree with their assessment.

However, I believe this whole discussion about Sorawo's personality is potential spoiler, as the manga haven't made more of Sorawo's personality and inner thoughts available yet. In the context of this chapter, Sorawo's points are perfectly reasonable, but as Madcat6204 says, she's saying the right things for wrong reasons. This'll be made clear as the story progresses.

As such, it'd best to have discussions like this inside spoiler tag.

On another note, we may have a protagonist with a flawed character which may be deal breaker for some people, however rest assured, Sorawo's not the most selfish character to appear in this story. There's someone else who seemingly one ups Sorawo in terms of selfishness, but their motivation was not made entirely clear in the LN as of vol. 3.

And speaking of selfishness,

Spoiler

Kozakura may be the most selfless character in this story.
- Despite being bad with scary stuff and always complaining, she allows the gang to use her place as their base anyway.
- Allowing the gang to earn quite a bit by facilitating trade of potentially dangerous urasekai artifacts even though she doesn't benefit much from it.
- Despite also worrying about Satsuki but too scared to go to the otherside, she doesn't suggest or force anyone to go look for her
- Haven't chased the gang out despite all the trouble they brought to her doorstep (literally!)

 

[I_am_nemo]

@Lhmac I wouldn't say Sorawo is unlikable, exactly. She's certainly flawed and conflicted, but she's the way she is for reasons, and her character isn't exactly static throughout. Though I guess "likable" is a matter of preference; I don't find selflessness a necessary condition for likability. To put it another way, if the manga is your first introduction to the story, I think you may find her more sympathetic as the story progresses.

 

[gamma2015]

.......................so people are mad cuz she isnt risking her life for someone she never met?????

sorry but she made perfect sense to me

 

[Lhmac]

@I_am_nemo Selflessness is a condition for likability. If you never do anything for anyone else unless it's easy for you, you're a crap friend. She's helped out Toriko, but being a jerk to everyone else means she would also be a jerk to us. Hence, unlikable.

I didn't say I don't like the character, that's a completely separate thing from being a likable or unlikable person.

@smns Having never read the LN and knowing the kind of person Sorawo is, yes, we have seen her personality and inner thoughts in the manga. It might not be as extreme as in the LN (and the LN is a different story anyway, it could be slightly different), but we've seen it.

 

[ZettaiInu]

Selflessness is a condition for likability.

@Lhmac I disagree. I'd take asshole who's at least honest over supposedly "nice" and "selfless" person. I know that you probably saying your point of view, but still not everyone considers selflessness as a necessary condition for likability. Concept of likability and it's conditions are subjective and vary from person to person.

Having never read the LN and knowing the kind of person Sorawo is, yes, we have seen her personality and inner thoughts in the manga. It might not be as extreme as in the LN (and the LN is a different story anyway, it could be slightly different), but we've seen it.

The thoughts seen at this point in manga are kind of out of context. Things get a lot clearer and make more sense when some things come to light, but it's somewhere in vol 3 of LN. Manga also follows pretty much to the letter LN so they can be hardly considered as different. It's reasonable to expect that won't change, since so far everything is set up to precisely follow the plot from LN.

And while we're at it:

but I guess that's why they flashed back to it after showing Sorawo back in Otherside. Guess people would have been more angry if they didn't start the chapter with that.

It was exactly the same in light novel. To be honest, a lot of this kind of things happen there.

Sorawo's not the most selfish character to appear in this story. There's someone else who seemingly one ups Sorawo in terms of selfishness, but their motivation was not made entirely clear in the LN as of vol. 3.

@smns

Spoiler

I'm guessing you're talking about Satsuki? I was somewhat wary of her ever since she was mentioned and had bad feelings about her since the beginning. After vol. 3 I appreciate Sorawo's "selfishness" even more. Without her they all be resting in pieces long time ago ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[smns]

@ZettaiInu

Spoiler

Yep, that'd be her. Stuff she did is questionable at best, although we know very little about her and her motives, so it's entirely possible there's a good reason behind her actions.

 

[YuriIsTooLewd]

Am I the only one who expected a middle-aged man in this chapter? Such a let down.

Did Toriko really assume without any doubt that someone she had known for less than three months would die for her? She even left abruptly. So cringe.

 

[CuttySark]

The novels are pretty cheap on Play Store, fyi. Translation is also pretty good.

 

[Moribden]

@Kaguya-Sama , @TheAmazingNil , @Magikal_Maggs

Yeah, Sorawo is not required to save anyone.

What makes that worthless bitch selfish is shitting on her crush's friend, making it clear that she doesn't give a fuck about Toriko beyond getting in her panties and then makes a surprised pikachu face when she's not liked for it. Yes, yes, yes, she's not required to risk her life for others. And others are not required to like her or to treat her as anything more than vile toxic trash she is. You treat people like shit, you get treated like shit in return. The problem is, Sorawo has the gall to feel slighted about it.

Spoiler

Further in she even has the nerve to chide Toriko for going off alone after specifically refusing to help her. Again, what a piece of horny shit she is.

 

[Kaguya-Sama]

@Moribden
LOL Do you read the series at all? If you are gonna give a shit about Sorawo being human, then go read other manga that have mc who is a saint and selfless to the fucking point of being inhumanly stupid. She is afraid of her losing her life and her sanity. Her reasoning is very human and logical. They have been going on and risking their fucking lives for whoever Toriko's friend was. In this series, everyone is selfish in a way and very human. And that's what make this series enjoyable. And one more thing, I bet you've heard that saying - "Don't set yourself on fire to keep other warm". That's what Sorawo was doing. She is worried about herself and she is worried about Toriko. And about spoiler you said, again go read other series which have mc who is fucking busy being stupid saint

One more thing, I've read LN up to vol 03. So, don't bother yourself with finding reason to say about Sorawo being selfish. She is just being human REASONABLY

 

[Moribden]

@Kaguya-Sama
Go read the series where the MC is a worthless piece of shit that is as likable as pile of burning garbage. Oh wait.
Yeah, it's very human. For a complete useless asshole. If you've actually read my reply, instead of being an insufferable moron, you would've noticed that I said that she's NOT required to risk herself for the sake of others. But then she shouldn't expect any sort of positive treatment in return. Yet, she does expect it and whines endlessly about not getting it.

So no. It doesn't make series enjoyable. It makes Sorawo a piece of shit. That's all. She's a realistic piece of shit. Her interactions with with Toriko consist of 1/3 admiration of how beautiful she is (i.e. being a horny cunt), 1/3 being jealous and 1/3 is thinking how she doesn't own her anything.

You reading "uP tO vOlUmE 3" is completely fucking irrelevant. I did to. So fucking what? Sorawo is still a god-awful person and deserves no affection from anyone.

 

[Kaguya-Sama]

@Moribden Who is being insufferable moron? I have read everything your comment said. You said that ALL Sorawo cared about is getting in Toriko’s panties. Lol. You seriously don’t know about that fucked-up world she’s been going with Toriko for Toriko. And she just want a break after almost dying and seeing these things in the fucked-up train. Hearing the fucked-up phone callAnd what did Toriko think about that? Oh yeah Sorawo just want more money not giving a fuck about Sorawo’s life. All she cared about is finding her friend and then she fucking left without thinking twice about what Sorawo said to her. And it's understandable that Toriko is being unreasonable because she is worried about her friend. So yeah. If Toriko has every right to worry about her friend and left Sorawo for her friend, Sorawo had every reasons to be mad at Toriko for being unreasonable.

 

[Moribden]

@Kaguya-Sama
Yeah, nobody would think twice about an asshole telling them that your friend, who is quite possibly in mortal danger, is irrelevant.

She never went "for Toriko". First time was an accident (first wiggle-wiggle). Second time was for money (hunting the second wiggle). Then money again (tall woman). Then an accident again (tall woman's hat). Then because she wanted her panties (when she went off without Sorawo because Sorawo told her to fuck off, basically). Where is her doing this "for Toriko" exactly?

Sorawo has no rights to anything regarding Toriko. She's an absolute fucking nobody to Toriko and a disgusting creep to boot.

 

[Kaguya-Sama]

She never went "for Toriko". First time was an accident (first wiggle-wiggle). Second time was for money (hunting the second wiggle). Then money again (tall woman). Then an accident again (tall woman's hat). Then because she wanted her panties (when she went off without Sorawo because Sorawo told her to fuck off, basically). Where is her doing this "for Toriko" exactly?

@Moribden, Since the first time, she started going with Toriko because Toriko asked her to. Money was side problem of her. She had no reason to go with Toriko after the second time. She go with Toriko because Toriko said that they have 'special relationship' that two of them had. She was risking her own life for Toriko. She could've lived easy college life after second time. But she go to that fucked-up place called Otherside just because she believed in that 'special relationship' that Toriko said.

Sorawo has no rights to anything regarding Toriko. She's an absolute fucking nobody to Toriko and a disgusting creep to boot.

LOL just read chapter 1 where Toriko said about the 'relationship' they have again. And one more thing, Toriko would've been long dead if Sorawo isn't there for her. What gonna happen to Toriko is proof. And yeah, before you saying anything, same goes for Sorawo if Toriko wasn't there for her..