Steel Ball Run is just Too Damn Good. This volume is another thriller. It really feels like things are moving towards the climax, with all points converging on Philadelphia.
Lucy's scenes are always so intense. I might have already said this, but it reminds me of why I enjoyed It Chapter 1 so much. There's a strong sense of powerlessness that comes with having your character be a child. She's weaker and navigating a world she doesn't fully understand. But she's clever and quick enough to just get by, always being a step away from death. And the whole time she's on the verge of having a breakdown of falling apart.
Valentine's philosophy is the perfect distillation of America's historic values. Disregarding agreed upon rules, basic altruism, and common decency, America has always strove to be "he who takes the napkin first" at any cost. Be it human rights violations, imperialism, oppression, slavery, or genocide. There is no crime too horrific. America will do whatever it deems necessary to ensure to set the pace that it will then force everyone else to follow. Valentine seeks to use the literal corpse of Christ to justify his authority, just as America has used Manifest Destiny as justification for genocide. And of course, after espousing this philosophy, Valentine tries to rape a child. The office of President has a proud history of rape.
The slow build up of Lucy becoming a proxy for the virgin Mary was stunning. When I realized what was going on, my jaw hit the floor. To this point, Jesus has only showed up to a mentally impaired man, a crippled man, and a meek child. Araki is constantly walking this razor's edge of respectfully portraying Biblical events while also portraying ugly side of Christian America's politics.
Other highlights include include the reappearance of Magenta Magenta and Wekapipo. These guys have really grown on me. Magenta in particular. That moment with the ruler made me burst out laughing- a rare treat for manga. It doesn't probably mean anything, but Magenta being the stand-in for Kars is pretty wild. Lucy being a Pendelton was a nice surprise too. It really feels like we're getting in a few more references to parts 1 and 2 before hurtling toward the climax.
Everyone is converging on the same location and the stakes are rising. Pretty much every other front-runner for the race has been killed off. So I worry that my boy Pocoloco isn't long for this world. Here's my ranking for who I think has the best chances of winning
1. Dio
2. Pocoloco
3. Johnny
4. Norisuke Higashkata
5. Gyro
Sorry folks, but Gyro has death written all over him. Womp womp.