Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet #9 – Now Ledo knows what, or rather who, he’s been fighting… almost. The descendants of the human/squid symbionts went to space, copied the wormhole technology, put on some better armor, and have been fighting Ledo’s ancestors ever since. But are the ones on Earth the people who stayed behind, or later returnees?
Now that the squid are known to have once been part of humanity, there’d better be a good explanation for why they’ve never communicated meaningfully with the Gargantians. Each would once have knowledge that the other was sentient. Have the squid evolved to non-sentience, or a state where communication is really truly impossible?
It looks like the jumping-off point for that montage is in our near future, as dress and architecture seem to be much the same as now, and the only differences are the squid technology, a new generation of warplanes, and the wormhole. And the solar system diagram, with Pluto promoted back to a full planet and some additional body in a comet-like orbit. (Or, an animator being sloppy about copying from a textbook or science program.)
Space Brothers #60 – No, Pieko isn’t a real Japanese name, but if it were, it would definitely be feminine.
Although what constitutes a “real” Japanese given name is admittedly fuzzy. Mutta’s name, as illustrated and previously explained, is formed from the characters for “six” (his father’s lucky number) and “fat” (in this context, having connotations of luck and general prosperity). Sticking together characters you like and then choosing the most obscure pronunciation for each of them is a perfectly normal way of naming kids in Japan.
One other name of note is the Holiday Inn janitor, Osohji. This may or may not be an actual Japanese family name, but ōsōji is a Japanese custom akin to spring cleaning. It’s done in December as part of getting ready for a fresh start in the new year.
Now that the astronauts have had a taste of trying to protect one of their own (and hey, he’s worth something– according to my household LEGO expert, Hibito-kun there is a faithful reproduction of a real and highly coveted minifig dating from the 1970s), it’s time for the real thing as Hibito gets to be part of the first group of live humans to use Pico’s parachute system. Before this is over, everyone will truly understand why Pico drinks.
Hunter x Hunter #82 – Just as Gon and Killua are having a good day, their former equal goes and levels up. Have we run out of ways for the situation to get worse yet? Probably not, with the Chimera Ant King still on the way.
Have I mentioned lately that this is technically a kids’ show? The Hunter x Hunter manga is published in a magazine aimed at teenagers, and this show airs on weekend mornings in Japan. Just imagine a Western TV channel airing something among the morning kiddie cartoons that features a centaur-like creature keeping naked grovelling humans as pets and then casually stomping them to death. Yeah, me neither.
