Hey now, you’re an All Star get your game on and welcome to my read-through of Chapter 168: Correction and Declaration in which I was very wrong, and I’m still very conflicted about it (LOL).

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Correction and Declaration Summary

Fukuda’s Outburst

Picking up immediately after the last chapter, Fukuda declares his desire to talk about an important friend of his. Muto Ashirogi.

Fukuda knows that his listeners are Giri fans (I would hope) and that they should know that he and Ashirogi have been competing in Jump for a long time. There are two people, and one of them is going out with the VA Miho Azuki.

Saiko, Shujin, and Kaya are concerned about these outbursts and whether he’s allowed to say anything about this.

Ran and Shoichi mention that this has nothing to do with Giri, and that their anime is airing on a different network. Fukuda defends himself; That’s why he wanted 5 minutes of free speech.

The voice actors let him continue.

He continues to dress down the audience: their favorite VA has a boyfriend; he gets it, it’s “the fan spirit” to be depressed about that. Saiko wants to know what Fukuda is trying to get at here.

Even so, he can’t forgive all the monstrous stuff he’s seen online. Creators are people, too. There’s nothing wrong with them having a relationship. He then explains that Miho and Saiko have pursued this dream since middle school. Even though he’s unsure whether to say it, he says it anyway: they’ve striven for that dream using text messages and without seeing each other. He’s never heard of another couple with a relationship as pure as theirs.

The boys take it quietly.

Fukuda asks rhetorically what’s wrong with that style of love. He calls out the anonymity of the forums where the vile content is being posted. Death threats? Slut Shaming? Screw them.

They mention that Fukuda went on like this for a full five minutes.

Fallout

The next day at Shueisha, Heishi gets grilled for Fukuda’s stunt on the radio program by Miho’s manager. He’s furious that Fukuda confirmed Miho’s relationship status; he’s ruining her reputation. Heishi tries to calm him down and explains it was just a show of support for the two lovebirds; he never meant to rustle any jimmies.

The President is having none of it: he’s exacerbated the rumor even further. And even worse, he added credibility. The president demands action from Heishi on this. Heishi counters that some people found Fukuda’s candor refreshing and that they’d like to support such a relationship.

The President reminds him that only a few people have said that, and the overwhelming majority think it’s a long con to have Miho’s reputation resuscitated by having her friend, the manga artist, make up the story.

Heishi continues getting his ear chewed off by the guy while other editors continue fielding calls about the situation. Miura calls it out: Fukuda shat the bed on this one.

Womp womp. I was wrong.

Yujiro thinks he’s an idiot. Miura tries to cheer him up: it did turn the tide of public opinion a bit, and that Giri is a great manga. Yujiro gets real: that’s only pre-existing fans of Road Racer Giri; not Azu-kyun fans.

Heishi asks Yujiro to come over.

The President of Prince Eight is going to force Miho to deny her relationship with Ashirogi on her radio program Azu-kyun night in two days. He has demanded Fukuda appear on Giri’s radio broadcast next week to apologize and correct what he said by chalking it up to a mistake.

Oy.

Yujiro thinks that’s not possible, knowing Fukuda. It doesn’t matter if it’s impossible; convince him.

NEVER! (maybe)

Fukuda refuses to apologize for his outburst, no matter how much Yujiro asks. It goes against his manly ethics. Besides, he told the truth. It doesn’t make sense for them to lie instead.

Yujiro thinks he’s right, but he has to be a grown-up about this. Fukuda thinks he is a grown-up, it’s just that he’s not a rotten grown-up like Yujiro and the rest.

What a grown-up thing to say.

Fukuda admits he got too emotional and said some things he shouldn’t have. Yasuoka agrees: the internet has been on fire since yesterday. Fukuda will agree to apologize for going too far. Yujior thinks that’s enough and he’ll run interference with the higher-ups so that they take it well enough. He also reminds him about his final draft.

Before Yujiro leaves, Fukuda apologizes for causing trouble. Yujiro’s cool with it. Yasuoka reminds him of causing trouble for Saiko as well.

Fukuda glares at him, but sees the error of his ways and calls up Saiko to apologize. His assistants encourage it, and apologize to Azu-kyun as well.

I Want To Announce It to the World

Saiko receives Fukuda’s call and his apology for talking too much on the radio show. He couldn’t stay quiet on the matter.

Saiko appreciates what he did, it’s no problem. Fukuda wonders if Miho feels the same way. Saiko doesn’t know since he hasn’t talked to her about yesterday’s broadcast yet.

Fukuda asks to formally apologize to her regardless. He’s willing to fall on his knees and commit seppuku if he needs to. His assistants have never seen him like this.

Saiko has never seen this side of him before. But Shujin observes he did get out of control. Shujin goes to the internet on this one, where most of the responses to his outburst are negative. Only about 20 percent at best are supportive of their relationship.

Saiko reminds him to focus on work, not on internet commentary. But he’s thinking about Miho and decides to tell her about Fukuda’s apology by text. Shujin thinks they should discuss it over the phone (don’t you know the series you’re in, Shujin?), but Saiko doesn’t believe that will actually solve anything.

Miho gets the text about Fukuda’s apology and responds.

She appreciated it too. Saiko reminds her that a popular VA can’t reveal that she’s partnered, though, right?

Miho explains that the president of her company told her to deny it on the radio. Since they haven’t seen each other, people will believe it (LOL). Saiko agrees: they don’t look like they’re dating, so it should work.

Miho, however, wants to shout out her love for him (LOL).

(lol)

Shujin teases them for being so lovey-dovey, but Saiko seems off about it. He explains that he’s happy Miho’s takin git so well.

Shujin thinks she must be extraordinarily mentally tough to be making jokes in this situation. Both of them have a lot of guts being so calm about everything.

Saiko thinks the most skilled actress will get the role of Naho, and that’s why they’re both as cool as a cucumber. Shujin starts splitting hairs on the verbal contract of their dream: since she’s auditioning for the role, they might as well consider it fulfilled. If this hadn’t happened, she definitely would have gotten the role since they asked for it.

Saiko refuses to compromise like that. Only after your dream has taken shape can you say it’s come true. Shujin agrees with him, begrudgingly.

Input from Momma

Miho examines the texts from Saiko. She’s torn about denying their relationship and receives a knock on the door from her mother.

Hisashiburi Miyuki. Her mother explains that she heard about the radio show yesterday and that she wishes she had listened to it. She apologizes for saying it was wrong of her not to see the boy she loved.

She was worried because of her relationship with Taro. Mihoko and Saiko are different: they’ve both been pursuing their dream together without seeing each other.

Miho asks if the man she’s discussing is Taro. Miyuki’s surprised that she knows and asks how long she has known. Miho wants to be together with Saiko more after finding out. Saiko feels the same way. Miyuki encourages her daughter: she’s proud of her relationship management and she’s rooting for the two.

Awww.

Surprise Performance

At the voice studio, three minutes before air time, the President reminds her of the line she is to say, denying her relationship with Saiko. If she does not do it, her career as a voice actress is over.

She thinks of all the times they’ve shared. All three.

Meanwhile, everyone’s gathering around like it’s a funeral as they prepare for Miho to deny the truth. Fukuda and his assistants, and Team Ashirogi. Yasuoka and the other assistant plan to support Azu-kyun and feel bad for her.

The airing begins, and Miho asks the audience: Do they have a dream. The president is miffed he didn’t even announce the program.

Miho goes on: she wants to support people who have a dream and are striving for it, and people searching for a dream.

The President wants her to deny the relationship.

She goes in the exact opposite direction:

She admits that she’s in a relationship with Mashiro Moritaka, the artist for Muto Ashirogi.

The president demands they go to commercial, but the engineers can’t do that yet. Besides, she said it clearly. It’s too late.

She then announces that she loves Moritaka Mashiro.

Everyone freaks out at that.

She explains that they made a promise in middle school: they would make a manga, and he would voice the heroine. And when that dream came true, they will get married. They have shared it this whole time. That is their dream.

Saiko’s floored, and the President about dies on the spot at the mention of marriage.

On that cathartic note, the chapter ends.

Correction and Declaration Reaction

Goddamn if being wrong was an Olympic sport

I’d get a bronze medal. Because I was right about some things.

So, I wildly overestimated the story element of this chapter, favoring unreality instead of going a more realistic route. And that’s on me. I’m glad it’s on me, because it makes the flow of this arc feel a lot more natural.

Seeing Fukuda’s efforts only partially work seems much more accurate because the internet usually likes to stick to its guns, especially in the face of contradictory or new information.

And now in the context of the last sequence, which I did mention might happen, but I was hoping wouldn’t – it makes sense that Fukuda was there just to tee up Miho for her big moment.

I also have no idea what Fukuda said offscreen because everything he said during the program – except for the fact that he wasn’t supposed to say it – was completely on point and accurate. The fact that he’s going to eat shit for it – even if only mildly – is really upsetting.

But it does give us a good glimpse into the maturity of Saiko’s behavior throughout this whole debacle.

One of the key features of this arc appears to be that Saiko has finally grown into the man who is capable of being married to Miho and a successful manga artist, and that’s not letting external events knock him off course, even if he’s deeply affected by them.

Contrast this to the hospital arc, or Detective Trap’s cancellation, or Eiji’s two series. He was reactive and patient each time and desperate to break through the noise and turn it into a signal.

But now, he’s cool as a cucumber. It’s obviously affecting him, but he knows what he has to do: produce good manga pages and keep calm. If there were any major sign that we’re in the endgame of this story, this is it.

Because that non-reactivity is one of my favorite components of endgame storytelling. Where the main character has stopped resisting all the things that held them back, all the setbacks, and, in some non-literal sense, become enlightened to the truth: they have to do what they have to do, and they are resigned to doing it no matter what. Or committed.

I’ve been going through a non-reactivity arc myself this whole year. And now that we’re at the end of it, I can say that I’ve become significantly less reactive emotionally. I still feel things, but it doesn’t knock me off course. And it’s led to some major positive, healthy changes. Maybe some things aren’t the way I’d prefer, but I can keep moving forward.

That said.

Mad Props to Fukuda Anyway

Yeah, I still think I’m on Fukuda’s side here, even though I know Saiko’s behavior is objectively the correct way to do things. Because Fukuda is more right emotionally than Saiko, and he’s able to give vent to his feelings because he has the power to do so.

I found the sequence where he switches from “I ‘m never apologizing” to actively calling Saiko and Miho to apologize to them adorable. It’s not because he actually backed down, but because he was focused on apologizing to the people who actually suffered for his behavior. Which is, like, y’know, a good thing to do.

He’s a good boy. Maybe even the best.

Nah.

But still, I feel bad for Fukuda – and, frankly, me – for being Naive when I know how this plays out in real life, which is what is happening here.

But this has made me drastically reconsider how I handle this information.

Censorship is Not Necessarily For Bad Reasons

OH boy, I can already hear someone calling me a fascist, but hear me out.

Earlier this year, Booktuber Daniel Greene – of whom I am a fan, and used to engage with his content regularly – got accused of sexual assault. I watched the supposed victim’s video, and in it, they provided pretty compelling testimony that suggested that what he did was what happened.

And the internet dog piled him.

It was a tricky situation, too, because if you say “let’s wait for all the facts,” it comes off as rape apologia. But if you skewer his head on a pike, then he might not have done anything bad.

My instinct was to believe the victim in this case.

Then Daniel provided a 1-minute lawyer note about how he was going to provide his version of the story and admitted the truth: he’d had an affair with this individual.

While I was still inclined to believe the victim, this gave me pause, although I didn’t articulate it publicly.

Then the victim released a second video going into significantly more detail bout the alleged events because they knew they would have to be deposed in the future and they might have unintentionally perjured themselves by leaving out that info.

And it revealed inconsistencies in the story.

Then Daniel provided his response. And it more or less vindicated him outside of having the consensual affair, which he obviously admitted because he wasn’t trying to perjure himself.

And then everyone realized they had been had.

We don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes in most cases. But as often as it is something awful – and let’s be real – a lot of times it is – there are just as many instances where a lot of hidden information comes to light that questions the veracity of the tale.

But what ended up happening was that Daniel regained his following, although a healthy portion of people – committed to hating him – decided it didn’t matter that what he was accused of was fabricated; he had committed an affair, and so they still hated him.

What I am trying to say, aside from situations are nuanced, is that the internet rarely entirely forgives, and never forgets.

And that scares the fuck out of me.

But anyway, let’s shift to Miho’

s’ Mom

We’ll talk about Miho in a bit, too. This was a mercifully short chapter, and it wasn’t super dense either by Bakuman standards, aside from all the stuff related to Fukuda.

But the standalone philosophy is being applied extra hard here. And Miyuki – one of the reasons I despised this plotline – came to double down on the notion that hte purity of it is a good thing, actually.

Since last read through, i still have decided I’m more okay with it now. But I still think it’s basically dumb.

And like, Miyuki had made me reconsider one thing: there were two consenting participants in this dream, unlike Miyuki and Taro’s tragic, doomed romance. And there is a major difference there. She was not playing with the same rules as Miho, who is objectively a giant weirdo who is obsessed with her partner.

And Miyuki and Taro were never officially in a relationship. But Miho and Saiko are. The distinction is actually silly, and I’m grumpy to even bring it up. HOWEVER, it does make it technically more palatable.

Or I’m just rationalizing my about face in this climactic moment of the series where everything is being put on the line for the relationships and the fact that their relationship is “pure” is such a driving force of part of the conflict.

While yes, there is the larger arch storyline of the relationship being under scrutiny, it’s also about the extent of their relationship existing at all. That’s the major issue because of parasocial relationships and whatnot, and people being butthurt about their favorite actress being definitively out of their reach.

But the story has made their purity a bigger component. It’s not been repeated several times that they are a true, innocent couple of a dying breed.

And uh, yeah, you know where I stand on this.

I think purity is nice, but if it interferes with your ability to have a meaningful relationship you actually want, then it’s not healthy and should not be pursued. It’s very not good.

So, in the interest of being practical and having healthy, lovely relationships, I’d rather have a real relationship built on thorough knowledge of the other person is ideal.

How many times will I say that in the last few chapters? Well, that kinda depends on how long this arc is going. Knowing Bakuman, this is the climax, since the arc has been building toward – namely, Miho’s relationship status being publicly confirmed by her – now happening.

And speaking of that.

This makes a lot more sense

So, in my last read through, I kinda shoehorned into my prediction about this chapter that it seemed like Miho was going to be put in a situation where she had to admit her feelings for Saiko publicly. The setup is there, but I was expecting Fukuda to have a much more positive effect through the power of anime bullshit. I mean Nakama.

And it’s shoe-horned because I forgot to write it while I was riffing, but then remembered that I had meant to say it.

So that was my big correct prediction. And now we have the president of her company about ready ot keel over from frustration about the whole situation, and Miho just doing it.

The moment she texted Saiko that she wanted to announce her love, I knew we were cooked. But it’s also a lovely thing, and a brave thing, to risk your reputation like that.

Now. Do I see it working? That’s a really interesting question. Since we had Miho’s confession set up, it’s an open question as to whether she’ll get Reversi now.

Or that Ishizawa will get clocked. I’m starting to lose hope. Not entirely, but somewhat.

Am I expecting a perfect fairytale ending eventually? Yes. That is going to happen. It’s what the story is. But I’m honestly not sure what Miho can say to mollify her crowd. And that actually makes this whole thing feel pretty existential. And in that sense, this is a winning chapter.

I think the loss to Eiji in the 130s really set me on this path of uncertainty. Even though their ultimate victory is assured, how they get there isn’t. But Miho having guts has to count for something.

Do I think it’ll repair her relationship with her audience? I’m not sure, I’m not inclined to think so, but I also think the rest of this confession is going to happen in the next chapter and that it’s going to be a major game changer either way.

Even if it doesn’t affect he court of public opinion, it might sway Konaka, the producer of Reversi.

Although in real life, which this is mirroring more and more, what would likely happen is that this admission would be met with an absolute firestorm of bullshit from the fandom, and then it would peter out once people found new gossip to latch onto.

So that might happen.

But the other thing that has yet to happen in this arc is Miho’s audition. That’s the final final climax, and it might happen next chapter, or in two chapters, but that’s going to be the final piece of the puzzle.

This arc is not going to cap the series out; the battle with Eiji is not officially concluded. But we’re going to have to get some resolution soon.

I do have to say that I admire the pure cojones that Miho has. Stupid? Yes. Likely to harm her career unless there’s some narrative save that makes her get the role? Also yes.

But it’s really gutsy. Just being upfront. And even though I think Miho is objectively a fucking weirdo, she’s a principled weirdo. And I want to be principled like her.

So maybe I will saay stuff I keep holding in.

Stray Thoughts:

–Poor Heishi. I’ve never felt so much for him as I did this chapter when he had to take it from both ends without Lube. My love for him as an editor-in-chief went up considerably when he took the verbal haranguing from the president of the company with such aplomb and grace, and still went to bat for his mangaka. It’s to be expected, but he’s threading a complicated needle and he’s not being a dick about it.

–Some people support them. Maybe it will get bigger, but unless something major happens, it’s not looking great. Watch me be wrong as fuck about that after this broadcast (lol).

–Shujin didn’t have a whole lot to do this chapter, nor did Kaya, other than react, but they were a good buffer for all the shit going on.

–Shujin trying to compromise on the dream. I get it, buddy, I get it. They’re not going ot do that, they’re too hardheaded.

–Fukuda looking and acting guilty was so sad, man. I got depressed just looking at him. He really expected that gambit to work. And so did I. Le sad.

–as far as small details that are nifty are. The voice actors of the Giri broadcast mentioning that they need to keep things on topic, and not reference other competitors on the program, is also a “fun” little detail about the behind-the-scenes stuff that’s constantly going on.

–Miho’s flashback to all the things she and Saiko have done cracked me up because they’ve done so many things that you only have like, three panels of them together that it’s just the three panels, really. Comedy gold.

–This chapter is a bigger version of the “The final secret gets revealed” trope I mentioned with Hattori. But it’s also climactic.

–The president is an asshole, but he’s not an incomprehensible asshole. He’s trying to protect his voice actress’s career. The fact that he’s so done after her admission is funny, but let’s be real, she is his bread and butter. You’d be having a conniption if your star was risking themselves to that degree.

–This has been such a downer arc. It’s well done, but I’m really ready to get back to the stuff that’s uplifting and kind. Hopefully we get there soon.

–And with this, we are at the end of volume 19. There is only one more volume left. I hope you follow me on this journey as we wrap up this journey of six years in 8 more chapters.

–Please, body Ishizawa, I’m fucking begging you

Until then,

Peace